The Society Catch
by punky 4 you
Summary: The meeting that was the direct cause of Colonel Uchiha Sasuke's loss of his heritage, and Sir Uzumaki Naruto to run away from home and get them both into trubble, happened at a ball the 6th of June. SasuNaru, Historical AU. Yaoi. Rating M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

The meeting that was the direct cause of Colonel Uchiha Sasuke's loss of his heritage, and Sir Uzumaki Naruto to run away from home happened at a ball the 6th of June.

It was a magnificent and splendid party. All according to the hostess plans, and the plan did not only succeed to mark that the summer and season was coming to an end, but also made all of the other balls that had been previously to seem pale and outright boring compared to this one.

Naruto walked to the line that led to the entrance as elegant that he could and at the same time make sure to stop and watch his steps occasionally and make sure he was not incidentally stepped on or pushed by the other guest's. Next to him his mother, Lady Uzumaki Kushina walked the famous staircase that led up to the ballroom with the same patience.

The mother and son had many opportunities to exchange smiles and polite sentences to friends and people they knew as they were caught in the slow walk up the stairs.

As usual, the mothers of less successful debutants looked upon Naruto, and they said in low voices to their children to observe his perfect stands, perfect walk and just the charming way he enchanted everyone in. If Naruto had not combined these qualities of his with a natural warmth and kindness, the other debutants would since long ago hated him for it. And as it were, they forgave him for being perfect while their mothers comforted each other that he was not engaged yet. And this was actually the end his second season.

This was one of the things that disturbed his mother greatly.

No one could have hoped to get a more loyal, charming and handy son than Naruto. But still, no more than seven suitable persons had greeted Mr. Uzumaki, and got the permission to wait upon Naruto and then sent away after being kindly, but definitely dumped by him.

In every case, Naruto had been unsure or unwilling to tell his upset parents an excuse, except that he didn't think that the girl, or man, wouldn't fit for his happiness.

But this same morning Naruto had refused to greet the son to one of his mothers dearest childhood friend's son, a most handsome and wealthy gentleman of good heritage. Naruto's father had quickly gone from astonishment to anger when Naruto at last succeeded to step over the line of his parent's patience.

"How could you say that you don't want to meet with Sai?" His mother asked him.

"What should I tell his mother when she gets to know that you dumped her son without even meeting him?"

"I barely know him!" Naruto told his mother. "And besides, YOU barely know him. You yourself said to me that you haven't met his mother in at least ten years!"

"You met Sai when you were six years old."

"Yeah, he stole my ball and pulled my hair."

"When he was ten years old, yes! But to say no to the earl because of some childish thing he pulled of at a young age, that's madness!"

Naruto bit his lip and lowered his eyes while he thought of an expectable excuse. He could not tell his mother why he said no to all of those who had asked for his hand, but he did not want to hurt his mother by telling the truth of why Sai didn't have a chance.

"So?"

"I don't like him. I really don't. There is something with his eyes when he look at me..." His voice died away. The piercing dark eyes was the only clue that something was burning behind sir Sai's polite and elegant surface, and this filled him with a deep mistrust. "It feels like I don't have any clothes on when he looks at me." he finally heaved out.

"Naruto! Of all the improper things... I can only hope that it is your virginity that have made you miss presume the fire of a young man in love that I feel that I can trust and that you don't know anything about!" Mrs. Uzumaki stopped for a moment to calm herself, while Naruto blushed a little bit on the virgin comment. "Has he ever said something that made you blush? No. Has he ever behaved improperly? No, I didn't think so. This is yet one of your ideas. Your father and I are starting to lose our patience."

While they did another pause in the stairs Naruto closed his eyes at the brief memory of his mothers voice.

"You could not hope for a more flattering offer. If you believe that your father has afford to pay for a endless line of dances and parties with new clothes, you're terribly wrong."

"I'm not playing with sir Sai's feelings!" He had protested. " I barely know him, he can't possibly love me! I haven't even seen him since we were kids."

But his mother had swept out of the room with the last comment that sounded like "Thank god that the earl isn't going to be present at the ball tonight! That way you will have the time to put yourself together and realize that it is a good deal to accept his proposal."

Both Naruto and Kushina walked yet two steps in the stairs and stopped yet again. Kushina bowed her head to the hostess of the party and exchanged a couple of words with her as she the same time looked at her son's calm profile.

_`What a spouse he would be for the earl if he just took reason!´_

His almost shoulder length hair was lying perfectly around his face in different lengths and layers. The light in the room made his hair go in the different tones of the whitest of silver to the warmest of gold. His eyebrows was perfectly fit in his face, and gave it a soft and feminine streak over it all with the big aquamarine blue eye's that were framed with darker lashes that surely could capture any woman, or man's soul.

She really couldn't figure out what it was that pleased his cloth maker more, his lithe shoulders or the fine curve that made his waistline. She herself could say she was proud of both of them.

Madame Ayame, as the cloth maker's name was had surpassed herself with tonight's clothing. He had wine red trousers that fitted his legs perfectly with long black boots, a Granite grey button shirt underneath a dark grey jacket, almost black, with Wine red linings and some golden buttons. The obscure grey in Naruto's shirt made his eyes stand out and shine even more. To make everything perfect, he'd even had a simple necklace with a blue crystal on it, that have been given to him from his father some years ago.

It was no wonder that Sai, the Earl, who would certainly be attractive in the eyes of most people, was so captivated by the son of his mothers friend. He had seen him for the first time in his adulthood after he had returned from a trip on the continent, where he had bought classic statues for his own collection. Naruto would maybe not be the perfect person for him, but he was mannerly raised, had a good family with contacts, and had a reasonable dowry. And he was also beautiful enough to enchant about every man or woman!

Naruto at the time were busy with searching throughout the crowd in both ends of the staircase in search of a certain man. He had no idea if he would show up tonight, or if he even were in the country, but he hoped for it, as he'd done at every possible event he had been to after his debut two years earlier.

The man Naruto were looking for was his future husband, Colonel Uchiha Sasuke, and it was for his sake that he had spent nearly three years to prepare himself to be the idealistic husband of a professional soldier, which one day would become general, rise high above his father's famous baronetcy, and certainly become a respected diplomat and statesman.

He'd fallen in love with Uchiha Sasuke when he was only seventeen years old, and just finished his education. He'd got his already anxious mother to fear that he would be too flirtatious and full of mischief when he made his debut. Unlike his quiet and obedient sister, who got engaged in her first season, Naruto showed major trends that, without any thoughts or reflection throw himself into every situation that appeared.

Then their beloved cousin TenTen arrived back from Malta to maintain the family with her incredible (and therefore, unlikely) romance with Hyuuga Neji. Since the Earl carried grief and just had inherited his high title and goods, but even so still insisted that Sara would marry him in three weeks, preparations were accelerated and unconventional. As the Marshal and Hyuuga Neji's best friend, Major Uchiha Sasuke helped the family of Uzumaki while they other dealt with the preparations for the wedding.

He spent much of the time by entertaining Uzumaki Kyuubi so that his mother had at least one concern less in her and everyone else's haste. Kyuubi, who were very fascinated and interested about the military, had afflicted the Major to tell him stories, and nobody seemed to notice his older brother Naruto, who used to sneak quietly into the room after his loud brother and sit in a corner to listen as well.

Naruto took another few steps up and rested his eyes on the backs of black-clad gentleman in front of him, while in his mind he returned to the quiet room where he used to sit and listen. The room had been filled with exciting images when Sasuke enchanted Kyuubi with his stories.

Soon Naruto had realized that the Major almost never spoke about himself, but about his brave comrades or friends. Qualities which meant that his men would follow the major to hell and back only made Naruto fall even deeper in love with the man.

But he also understood that he was too young for him, and that Sasuke would probably not even consider the possibility to marry the clumsy schoolboy he once was. He saw him only as a little brother.

But during the same season, he would start his debut, and during that time, he would learn.

And there was plenty to learn if he wanted to be the perfect husband Sasuke deserved, a spouse Naruto in blind belief knew Sasuke would recognize as perfect at the same time as he saw him again.

Almost overnight, Mrs. Uzumaki's most worrisome son became obedient, attentive and well-mannered. Naruto tried his hardest, from trying to comb and brush his messy hair more often, to speak a lot more politely and bow gracefully to a duchess or a more simple person. His parents were much too overjoyed over their son's transformation to even wonder about the reason behind the miracle, and therefore didn't ask him any awkward questions.

Month after month Colonel Uchiha Sasuke was stationed abroad. Naruto never gave up his calm and quiet hopes that he would return soon. Every day, as soon as his father had finished reading The Times, he snatched the newspaper and anxiously looked trough the whole thing in search for something that could break his world apart. It never went up for him that Sasuke could have been injured, or even killed, because he didn't believe that anything could get in the way of Sasuke's path onwards greatness.

But, there was another danger that were constantly lurking inside of Naruto's heart, and every morning, when Naruto had read the paper and could once again breath, it was a sign that Colonel Uchiha Sasuke hadn't gotten engaged yet.

At last they reached up so they weren't standing in the stairs anymore and Naruto thought about something appropriate he could say to the duchess. If you were married to a successful man in the military, it were to outmost importance that he could say the right things to all kinds of people. The duchess of Bridlington, Naruto recalled, liked to advance in fashion instead of following it. He thoughtfully examined the strange flower decorations that they were surrounded of.

"Mrs Uzumaki, mr Uzumaki!" The duchess were kind. She liked beautiful persons that had fun, were flirting around and made the events into a success, and Naruto was a charismatic beautiful man who were constantly polite.

"Isn't it terribly crowded?" She smiled at Naruto.

"Not at all, your grace," Naruto returned the smile and gave a perfect bow. "It was nice to have the opportunity to admire the floral decorations on the way up the stairs. So beautiful the palm trees and pineapples looked together, and they are so original. I have never seen anything like it."

"Oh, dear child!" the duchess answered and gave him a approving clap on his shoulder.

Naruto and his mother went into the ballroom, with its high pillars and mirrors. The room were met by the sound of conversation, laughter and the calming sound of the orchestra that were warming up before dances.

As always, Naruto let his gaze wander around the room, and his heart almost stopped every time he saw a red coat before he continued his search. He could not show his anxiety. As a future officer spouse to be, he had to remain calm and not show unnecessary emotions, no matter the circumstances.

A small group of officers were examined and leaved, bud suddenly he saw a man with dark hair that were at least a half head longer than they people he talked and were surrounded with. A man whose red coat sat across his broad, muscular shoulders and a band crossed his breast, decorated with several medals on the left side of his coat.

"Sasuke!" Naruto didn't know that he had spoken his name out loud, but it only came out as a whisper.

It was him, and three years of waiting, of love, of hard work and faith had reached it's end.

Sasuke walked slowly along the opposite side of the dance floor, stopped here and there to talk to friends, greet the young ladies, and occasionally ask someone for a dance. Naruto closed his hand over his empty dance card that were strapped to his wrist in a black ribbon. At the same time a voice could be heard next to him.

"Mr Uzumaki! May I have the honor to dance the first waltz with you?"

It was a round cheeked young man with swirl-like things on his cheeks. Naruto smiled but shaked on his head.

"I'm sorry, lord Akimichi, but I will not dance waltz this evening. If you excuse me I have to speak with someone at the other side of the room."

Slowly but purposeful he started to make his way throughout the crowd, with his gaze set on Sasuke's black hair. In the light of the room his hair gave out streaks of blue, which fascinated Naruto to no end. Naruto tried to see a glimpse of his face. _`Why is he in London_?´ He hadn't read anything about it. He anxiously roamed the tall man with his eyes. His heart jumped hard in his chest and he knew that all color had left his tanned face.

He didn't doubt for a second that this were his destiny.

This was Sasuke's destiny.

Sasuke had almost gotten all the way over to the other side of the room. Naruto turned down three more persons who tried to lure him out on a dance. His card had to be empty if Sasuke wanted to dance with him. Or would they just sit down and talk? Would he recognize him instantly or would he have to introduce himself?

He was almost there and tried to breath normally, since it was important that his first impression on him had to be faultless.

Now he could see Sasuke's face clearly. His fringe had gotten a bit longer since the last time he had seen him, but the back was still kind of wild. He looked more toughened, more well trained, dangerous and exciting than the last time he had seen him. Just another ten steps…

Uchiha Sasuke turned his head as if someone had spoken to him, hesitated and took a step backwards. Naruto saw him go trough a small door that were well hidden behind a curtain and all the decorations.

It was so crowded that Naruto wanted to scream, but he kept everything to himself and kept on going, which took several minutes for him to get to that door, minutes that felt like hours to him.

When he finally pushed the door open and entered, he was in a small hall and looked around in confusion. He then heard His voice, which he could never forget. He had a deep, husky voice that played with his senses. When he continued forward, Naruto now saw that Sasuke smiled down to a breath taking, beautiful young lady that he held in his arms. He felt a cold needle make its way in his heart.

"So you will talk to my father about this, Sasuke? You promise?" she said with her green eyes set on his face.

"Yes, Sakura, I promise that I will talk to him the first thing in the morning."

Sasuke's voice was thoughtful, warm and loving. Naruto grabbed the curtains without knowing it, all of his senses were now pointed at the couple he saw in the other chamber.

"Oh, Sasuke, I love you!" the young beauty suddenly laughed up to Sasuke, and Naruto's distressed brain just realized who she was.

Lady Haruno Sakura was the most charming and wealthy girl of this season. She was the duchess of Bridlington's niece, the oldest and most spoiled dotter of the marquis of Olney, short and slender, bubblegum pink hair and flirty emerald green eyes. Even if she wouldn't be wealthy the men would still be flocking around her.

'_Why is she after Sasuke?' _Naruto thought disturbed in mind. _'He should be mine!'_

"Ohh, it was such a long time since last time I saw you, do you really love me, Sasuke?" Lady Sakura said with her arms around his neck while his hands rested on her thin waist.

"You know that very well, Sakura" he answered and smiled at her. " You were my first, my only and special love." Then he lowered his head and kissed her.

Everything went dark, but Naruto finds himself standing still with a deathly hold on the curtains. His vision narrowed down until he could only see the couple in front of him. As if the were moving further and further away from him.

Blindly, Naruto turned around and left. It was miracle that he was still standing. It felt like he had fainted but still had all his senses left, except the vision. Outside the doorway there had been chairs, Naruto recalled. He reached out and found one that was free. He managed to sit down, put his hands on his knees and then smile widely as if nothing had happened. Would anyone notice?

Gradually, he vision came back, even if his head were still a mess. No one sat beside him, and no one had noticed. Hopefully. He tried to figure out what just had happened.

Sasuke was here, and he was in love with lady Sakura.

Naruto became aware of the whirling skirts at his shoulders and Lady Sakura appeared, hesitated for a moment and then disappeared around all the guests. Her voice could be heard clearly.

"Shino! I would love to dance the waltz with you, but I don't have a single dance left. No, I'm not joking, look here! My dance card is full!"

Naruto noticed that he couldn't keep the smile on his face any longer, his hand started shaking so he tried to hold them firmly in his lap. Any second, someone would see him trembling and start to wonder what was going on. He tried to regain his control as he fumbled with his necklace.

"Excuse me, are you alright?" A deep voice could be heard next beside him.

Naruto whirled around and felt his necklace drop at the action, and immediately Colonel Sasuke Uchiha stood on his knee in front of him.

"Here, I don't think its broken."

Naruto tried to stutter out a thank you. Then their eyes met and Sasuke's eyes widened up in recognition.

"Isn't it Mr. Uzumaki Naruto?" Naruto nodded his head, still not able to talk, received his necklace from Sasuke's outstretched arm as he tried to avoid his touch.

"Can I have a seat?" He translated Naruto's silence as a yes and seated himself in the chair next to him.

"Thank you." Naruto managed to blurt out, but it didn't convince Sasuke that he was okay. Naruto locked his eyes on his lap, but were still strongly aware of Sasuke's body next to him, Sasuke that had his attention on him, with his eyes on the blonde's face.

"It seems that you're not feeling well, Mr. Uzumaki. Can I bring anyone for you? Is your mother here?"

"Thanks, but I'm fine." Naruto managed to whisper. Everything seemed so surreal.

"I can't agree on that, you're as white as a sheet."

"I… I had a unexpected meeting that wasn't pleasant, that's all." His voice had gotten a little bit stronger, so he continued. "It came as a chock. I assure you I will feel better in just a moment."

_`And for god's sake leave before I break down and cry in front of everybody!´ _

Sasuke slowly stood up, but not to answer Naruto's secret prayer.

"Has anyone insulted you? Assaulted you?" He asked with a low voice as he tried to shelter him with his body from everyone else in the room.

"Oh, no, nothing like that." Naruto assured. He forced himself to look up. The onyx eye's with the interesting blue hues examined him seriously with some distrust.

"I'll go and get something for you to drink, it won't take long. Stay here."

Naruto leaned back in the chair and wished that he was strong enough to raise himself and go hiding, but his legs were mad of jelly. His brain didn't want him to think about the disaster that just happened to him. He tried to understand what just had happened, but were unable to concentrate further than that.

"Here, smut on this and try not to say anything." He was already back with two drink's in his hands.

_`How had he managed to get past among the guests?´ _he wondered. `He's fast!´

He got the glass and started drinking. The drink bubbled down in his throat and made him cough. He had expected lemonade and taken a too large sip of the alcohol.

"I wanted to give you some cognac instead, but I didn't find any. Drink it up, Mr. Uzumaki, you have obviously been stunned with a chock, even if you don't want to talk about it. The wine will help to calm down your nerves."

Once again he seated himself in front of Naruto as if to hide him from everyone else that could see him in this condition. Sasuke studied Naruto's face and seemed pleased with what he came to see.

"That's better. Now let's talk about something else. How are your parents? Feeling well, I hope. And your sister must be married by now, right?" It seemed as if he didn't mind Naruto's silent nods and continued. "And Kyuubi, how old is he now? Twelve, I would assume. Is he still interested of the army?"

"No." Naruto managed to force out a weak smile. "Not anymore. He have decided and now wants to become a scientist."

Sasuke raised his eyebrows but didn't seemed disappointed over that Kyuubi had abandoned his faschination about the military.

"Really? Now I seem to recall that he always had a poor little frog or snail in his pockets."

"That's nothing compared to what lurks behind his bedroom doors." Naruto started to relax. It was like the old Sasuke were back again. He simply couldn't feel uncomfortable in Sasuke's company and the last few minutes seemed increasingly unreal. Naruto took another sip of the champagne. "He also do some experiments at home,, which is causing mother to worry that the house will burn down. But dad actually takes with him to lectures sometimes if it's not too late at night."

"And your father isn't concerned over his choice in career…?" The colonel muttered to himself.

"I belive he has resigned." Reluctantly Naruto smiled as he remembered his father's face when he saw the kitchen after the cook indignantly called him down to see the results of Kyuubi's experiments with a tea-kettle, a few meters tubes and a heavyweight. Naruto took another sip from his glass only to find it empty.

Sasuke took Naruto's finished glass and handed him another one.

"very small glass of champagne, Mr Uzumaki." He said in a low tone.

"Have you heard anything from lord Neji recently?" Naruto asked. It must still be the shock, for he felt even more dizzy, despite the terrible anesthetic condition he was in before, he felt it being replaced by a feeling of unreality. He spoke with Sasuke as if the three years haven't evern occurred and as if she hadn't just seen him kiss lady Sakura and declare his love for her a little while ago.

"Not for about a week, I suppose. My correspondence is probably chasing me around the entire continent." He lokked sharply at Naruto. "Why do you ask? Is Tenten allright?"

"Oh yes," Naruto ressured him. "She is in a ... a…"

"An interesting condition?" Sasuke finished for him. "Yes, I knew that. I got a letter from Neji about a month ago. He was unbearably pleased with himself at the prospect of a small baby that can keep him company in the nursery. I hope I can visit them during this week."

Naruto drank more champagne to hide his emotions about the whole thing. His mother always managed to completely ignore the ladies of her acquaintance if they were pregnant. Naruto had wondered if someone like him, secretly felt the same, that it was silly to pretend about growing stomachs and that nothing special was going on.

Apparently Sasuke shared his opinion with him.

"So, you're home for some time now?"

"Yes." He frowned. "It was a while ago I visited England."

"Almost a year ago, and that was just about a week or two, right?" Naruto shot up and then realized by Sasuke's expression that he'd revealed a too remarkable knowledge of his doings. "I think lord Neji said something like that a while ago." Naruto added and crossed his fingers behind his back.

"I'm a bit concerned over my father. My mother wrote to me and express her worry over his health, so when I got a opportunity to come home I took it." He seemed to hesitate for a moment. " I have many decisions to make now under my vacation, and at least one of them will make a big change to my life."

`Yeah, your marriage!´ Naruto thought darkly. It would indeed be a big change for a man who had lived as a single for almost thirty years, and traveled all around the continent with only himself to take responsibility for.

"Shall I take your glass?"

Naruto looked down and discovered much to his surprise that the second champagne glass was empty. Strange that it made people so excited! Earlier, he had just taken a sip or two before his mother started to warn him of the dangers, but now he had drunk two glasses and felt so much better. He gave Sasuke his glass, fully aware that he examined his face closely.

"You seem to have recovered, Mr. Uzumaki. Would you like to dance? The next dance is the waltz, if I am not mistaken."

Naruto took a deep breath. His mother did not like that he danced on the big rolling party's and balls, and allowed only grudgingly in lesser events.

But the temptation to rest in Sasuke's arms, perhaps for the first and only time, was way too big.

"Why yes, Colonel Uchiha. I would love to dance with you."

SASUKEANDNARUTOSASUKEANDNARUTOSASUKEANDNARUTOSASUKEANDNARUTO

Well, watch'ya think? :D this is something that me and my sis came up with together. And it have taken a while, and unfortunatly messing up my time with my other fic's :/ but hopefully I will be spending some more time on it from now.

But you know, Review's are always a loved thing XD especially constructive critisism!


	2. Chapter 2

_Starting from zero, we got nothing to lose._

*

Naruto let Sasuke take his hand and lead him out to the dance floor while he tried to forget what had just happened, and also tried not to think about how it would feel when the dance would be over, and Sasuke gone.  
Time would just have to stay still, this moment was the only thing existing right now.

He let his hand rest lightly on Sasuke's shoulder and involuntarily closed his eyes for a second when the man in question touched his waist. This was another memory to add in his collection of Sasuke-memories, where the most stand out memory was when he had received the most rushed and light kiss on the cheek in the mess when everybody said goodbye to Tenten and her husband after their wedding.  
Everybody had kissed the bride and groom, and what could be more natural in the confusion then to accidentally kiss the best man? Sasuke had smirked and let out a small chuckle at him when he blushed, and answered by giving him a kiss on the cheek.  
Naruto could still close his eyes and remember the feeling, the smell of his after shave…

"Mr. Uzumaki?"

"Oh, Sorry! I was just thinking and minding my steps." Naruto quickly came up with a white lie to hide his previous thoughts. He just couldn't waste a moment in Sasuke's arms by thinking of the past, for the present right now was important.  
The music quickened its pace and they danced. Naruto realized that they danced as if they had practiced together for many years. Uchiha Sasuke was tall, but his length together with his strength and coordination made them really well-matched and they moved effortlessly with a simple elegance that made him breathless.

"**You** are a very good dancer Mr. Uzumaki," Sasuke looked down in the blondes sparkling aquamarine blue eyes. Naruto was no longer the mischievous and clumsy schoolboy he remembered. He hadn't even remembered him at first, to be honest. But now when the color had returned to his face and his bright eyes glowed with energy, he realized that he had a most charming young man in his arms.  
`Who or what had made him so upset?´Sasuke wondered and felt an almost chivalrous desire to put the one responsible to justice.

"Thank you, Colonel, but I believe that it is all thanks to you. Do you often go to proms or parties when you're out in the fields?" Naruto was well aware that he had to small talk as much as possible, as they looked each other in the face as they did so. He tried to memorize every line, every change that took place when he talked or smiled or frowned: His very dark eyes, how his lips quirked when he was amused, the smell of him and his after shave…

Sasuke swept him around and pulled him closer to avoid another couple who sailed ahead across the floor. Naruto was strongly aware of the warmth from Sasuke's body when he was suddenly pressed against him. After the couple had passed them they continued to dance with a respectable distance from each other.

"Parties?" he pondered over the question. "Yes, surprisingly enough. I suppose we take every opportunity we get, and since a lot of officers bring their wife's and husbands when the circumstances allow it, we often arrange spontaneous proms, especially when we stayed over winter in Portugal."

"And the duke encourages such activities?" Naruto asked. When they whirled trough the crowds he was able to catch a glimpse of his mother's astonished face. He felt wonderfully carefree about everything. This was the reality and the music would never end. This was not a dream and Sasuke would never leave.

"Yes. The Duke enjoys parties and proms and says that they could do us good." Sasuke let out one of his small smirks.

"Isn't it true that he consider his officers as his family?"

"Well, you know a lot about the Duke, Mr. Uzumaki. Are you one of his dedicated admirers? I have never known such a man as him, maybe with a few exceptions for y brother Itachi, who has a similar gift to attract peoples admiration. The rest of us never stood a chance to flirt around as soon as the duke was around."

"No, not like that. I have never even met him." It's was better not to think that Sasuke wanted to _`flirt around´._ "But he is very good in tactics and strategies, isn't he?"

He saw that Sasuke was taken aback, cause he gave him a questioning look as he raised one of his eyebrows.  
"Yes indeed, but that is a question I would have expected from your brother Kyuubi, not from you, Mr. Uzumaki."

Naruto was about to ask him why not, but remembered that Sasuke probably only remembered the young and mischievous little brat who would sit in the corner and listen while he told stories and memories to Kyuubi.

"I'm only curious about the matter." He answered lightly and wished that he had the guts to ask Sasuke about his time overseas and everything, but he knew that it would be too personal about the matter, and didn't want to be too obvious about his interest either.

And then the music ended. Sasuke let go of Naruto and they both politely clapped their hands while they left the dance floor. Naruto could still feel a burning sensation where Sasuke had touched him, they felt so sensitive. His hands started to tremble again.

"Mr. Uzumaki, Would you give me the honor of the next dance?" It was Akimichi Chouji who stood there and looked hopeful. "And now when you have changed your mind about dancing the waltz, maybe I can hope for one soon?"

Well, Mr. Uzumaki." Uchiha Sasuke bowed slightly his head at Naruto and then to Chouji. "Akimichi." He gave Naruto a reassuring smile and a look that said that he looked much better now. "Thank you for the dance."

And then he was gone, disappeared among the other guests. He searched for him and saw the back of his head for a second. He slowly realized that all he had lived for for the past three years and all his hopes and dreams were crumbling and grinding into dust.

"Thank you, lord Akimichi." He turned towards Chouji and gave him a big grin. "I would love to have the next waltz with you, but right now I would like to have a glass of champagne."

To his mother's dismay, and to his friends' horrified and envious admiration, Naruto danced all the waltzes and most of the other dances too. He politely declined some, but only to drink another five glasses or so of champagne and then be escorted to the dinner table by lord Kakuzu, a really notorious player and gold digger. The cherry on the top was when Naruto ended the evening by being found standing alone on the balcony with Mr. Hidan.

"**I must** immediately inform you Kushina," The haughty woman turned to Naruto's mother who anxiously had searcher for her son the past twenty minutes. "At first I didn't believe my eyes," She continued, and you could see that she could barely contain her glee over the fact that she had found such a virtuous young man with one of the town's most notorious player. "But I guess I don't need to remind you, Mrs Uzumaki, that Mr. Hidan is the last person I would want to find one of my children spending time with."

The last remark was pointed to Kushina's back, since Naruto's upset mother didn't hesitate before she hurried towards the doors who led outside to the balcony.  
It had not bothered her that Naruto could be out there, but when he stood and leaned against the balcony's rail in the moonlight and laughed up at Mr. Hidan, who stood _waay_ too close, and at the same time Kushina moved towards them she could see how Mr. Hidan leaned his face closer to…

"Naruto!" Her almost deceived son left his attention from the man and turned it to his mother with his customary elegance and without a shred of guilt showing on his face.

Mr. Hidan on the other hand gave Kushina's terrifying face a quick glance before he bowed and almost dashed away from there.

"Naruto!" Kushina repeated with a tone that showed that she couldn't believe her eyes. "What is the meaning of this? You have flirted all around the place, danced all the waltzes and to top it all I find you out here with such a notorious man! And as if that weren't bad enough it was that Gossip lady who told me where I could find you,- and with _who." _

Naruto just shrugged his shoulders. "I was bored."

"Bored!" Uzumaki Kushina narrowed her eyes. "Do you miss or lack something, Naruto? First your stubbornness earlier this morning and now this…"

"Miss something? Yeah, I guess so, but there is no cure against that." Naruto answered lightly. He felt very strange. The paralyzing pain over the loss of Sasuke was somewhere deep inside of him where he didn't have to deal with it yet, but on top was a slightly nauseating feeling of excitement, the beginning of a terrible headache and a suspicion of that nothing would ever matter again.

His mother took Naruto's arm in a tight grip and started to drag him towards the door. "We are going home this instance."

"Come on, mum, I can't." Naruto protested. "I promised to dance the next waltz with.."

"Nobody. We're going home and are going straight to bed" Kushina said in an almost bitter tone.

****,Naru****,****,****,****Sasu,****,****,****,** **,****,****,****GothLoli**

A terrible headache awaited Naruto the next day when he woke up, following by a hollow feeling where all his hopes and plans had been.

Naruto massaged his aching head and realized that he probably was suffering from a hangover due to too much champagne. How much had he been drinking? He dizzily counted up to eight drinks. Was it possible that he had been drinking that much? He remembered that he had been dragged away from the prom by his mother who had excused them from her friends. He could still hear her excuses ringing in his head: _`I'm afraid that the heat has given him a terrible migraine.´ _But the ride home was cloudy, he only had vague memories of being scolded, cursed to oblivion and then thrown straight to his bed in his room as soon as they entered their home.

_`Oh my god, my head hurts! It feels like its split in two!´ _The door opened and his mother came in with a cup of tea in her hands.

"So you're awake now?" she gave Naruto a bitter glance while he struggled up in a sitting position among his pillows. "I brought you some tea." She placed the cup in Naruto's hands and went over to pull away the curtains without taking any notice to her son's anguished groan when the sunrays flooded in and hit him in the face.

"Well, what do you have to say to your defense, Naruto?"

"Have you told anything to father?" Naruto thankfully took a sip of his tea. His mouth felt like a desert and his stomach turned when he caught a whiff of the vague scent of the breakfast downstairs.

"No, I haven't." Kushina said. "Your father is very busy at the moment and I don't want to add more worries on him besides your refusal to accept Lord Sai yesterday. But to do that I need a very clear and satisfying explanation to what happened."

"Champagne." Naruto reluctantly admitted. "I had no idea that it would affect me so." He looked at his angry mother. "It tasted harmless and not strong at all."

"Champagne? No wonder why you behaved like you did. Have I not warned you over and over again to not drink anything other than lemonade or ice water?"

"Yes. I'm sorry." _`I'm sorry I drank so much. Next time I know better, Next time I will only take one glass or two to experience that wonderful bubbly feeling…´_

"I have considered forbidding you to attend the upcoming parties until we leave town to visit Tenten and lord Neji over the summer," Kushina continued. "But I don't want to start any more gossips by letting you disappear from society, especially since I know the earl will be in town for at least another two more weeks. Luckily there will only be smaller parties for the rest of the month. I hope that the headache I'm sure you have will teach you a lesson."

Lady Kushina rose from the bed and walked to the door.  
"I must say, Naruto, That I am very disappointed. I was so proud of you. I hope that this was just a one-time accident. When it comes to Lord Sai I will tell him that you are not feeling well and can't be visited for a day or two."

With those last ominous words his mother left and closed the door after her and Naruto curled himself into a hard ball of misery and let some devastated tears roll silently down his cheeks. After a while he pulled himself together and wiped away his tears with a feeling of guilt after he had been scolded. It was very nice of his mother to not punish him for what had happened and what he'd done, and he appreciated it.  
And it seemed as if drinking and too much partying only made a person nauseous and queasy the other day. Maybe he should return to his normal behaviour, if so to only stop his mother from sounding so hurt again.

But of course it was a hopeless situation. He was twenty years old and sat on an ice throne. You usually married at age eighteen. Could he stand to get married to another person when he knew that his heart would always belong to Sasuke?  
Even if the world had changed centuries ago and now loved and welcomed marriages with the same gender as much as the opposite, he knew that he wouldn't yearn or love anyone else in the slightest way like he did for Sasuke. In any way, they say an unmarried young person has to behave modest and graceful, so he could just as well continue as he always had done.

SasuNaruSasuNaru SasuNaruSasuNaru SasuNaruSasuNaru

His good behavior only lasted two days, all the way to the party at Lady Inuzuka and Naruto's next meeting with the earl. Mrs. Inuzuka's events was always popular, even if this one,- she even admitted it herself to Mrs. Uzumaki and the other Ladies as the evening went,- fell somewhat flat after the great one at the Duchess. Kushina, who still couldn't think about that night without shuddering, agreed but pointed out that a lot of things must feel disappointing after such a grand party.

Her son could feel it clearly. To behave impeccably at the same time as he know many of the present people had seen him act the exact opposite way was making him feel distressed. He tried not to think that they all whispered behind his back, but couldn't get rid of the feeling completely.  
It all became much worse when he found out that Lady Haruno Sakura were among some other ladies in the corner of the big room.

Naruto had never got to know Lady Sakura very well, and now she stood in a group of friends who spoke and giggled among each other. Very aware that he would come to regret this, but unable to resist, Naruto silently walked towards them and seated himself to the group next to them so he could hear what they talked about without them knowing.

He could hear more giggling and chuckling and some surprised gasps before a young man talked.

"Colonel Uchiha? Sakura, you sly fox! What does your father say about this?"

"Well, since it's Sasuke we're talking about he can't say much in the matter. He has always been against it, but Sasuke is a very persuasive man."

"Oh Sakura, you must be so happy! I saw him at the duchess party and he was so handsome and striking!"

Naruto was already walking away from there. Sasuke had Apparently asked lord Haruno, the marquis of Olney, if he could marry Sakura, and the marquis had approved. Now the only thing left was to wait for their announcement. He could barely breathe right now.

Naruto took a glass of champagne from a tray that a waiter walked by with and took a defiant gulp of it before he realized that the earl, lord Sai had entered the room and was welcomed by the hostess. Naruto carefully took a step back and tried to hide behind a large plant, but it was too late. He must have asked for him, because Mrs. Inuzuka scanned the room and nodded to Naruto's direction.

While he muttered about his so-called perfect length, (it wasn't short enough to be shorter than the ladies, but he also was a little shorter than average for men, but apparently he was too tall for the plant.) Naruto put down his empty glass on a table and prepared to make the best out of the situation. After all, he could hardly ask for his hand in marriage in the middle of a party, could he?

He saw him come closer trough the room and compared him critically to Sasuke. Sai was a little taller than average with an elegant figure and a handsome, but slightly fake, face. His hair was dark and he had dark grey eyes, and Naruto suspected that Sai knew himself just how attractive he was. He was also impeccably dressed in a somewhat stiff, but popular fashion.

Sai and Sasuke were a bit similar in their colors, but it ended there.  
Compared to Sasuke's tall, muscular figure, confident way and subdued humor, Sai just fell flat in his eyes. Without knowing why he also thought that Sai gave out a cruel impression. His eyes flickered quickly over Naruto as he approached, and he once again got an uncomfortable feeling that Sai maybe was more interested in his body than what was appropriate.

"Milord." He bowed gracefully when Sai arrived by his side.

"Always so formal, Mr. Uzumaki." He took Naruto's hand and leaned down to kiss it. Naruto quickly snatched his hand away from Sai's face and hoped that his unconventional greeting wouldn't attract any attention.

"Milord!"

"Oh come on, Naruto." He joined their arms by grabbing Naruto's elbow and started to slowly walk along the room. "How come you keep the greeting so formal to an old friend, even if we just recently met again?"

"We were hardly friends, milord." He answered in a low tone and wondered if he could break free his elbow, or if it would turn out to an embarrassing struggle. "If I don't remember it correctly you saw me as an annoying brat. And I saw you as an asshole."

"But now you're a beautiful young man and I am only an eager admirer at your feet."

"Please, Lord Sai, don't flirt with me. I'm not in the mood for it." He searched through the room, looking for somewhere to escape. "Ah look, there are lord Kimmimaro. Have you met him? He has an extraordinary collection of different bones and full skeletons from various animals. I'm sure that he really wants to meet you."

"But I don't have the slightest desire to meet him." Sai's hand touched Naruto below his ribs and he could feel it through the fabric of his clothes.  
Only a few days ago there had been Sasuke's hand that had rested there.

"Naruto, when will you allow me to speak with you?"

"What do you mean? You are speaking with me right now. Oh, god evening Shino! How is it with your mother?

Sai steered Naruto away from his friend with an irritated sigh. "That's not what I meant, and you know it Naruto. Your parents would love to see you and me in an engagement."

Naruto wondered if he had the courage to turn him down right here and now and risk making a scene, But Sai's Dark eyes sparkled dangerously and Naruto suddenly felt afraid of what Sai was capable of doing.

"I know, But this is going too fast, lord Sai. We barely know each other."

He suddenly smiled, but his attractive smile and features didn't reach his eyes at all.  
"What Modesty! I know what I want, Naruto, and I make sure to get what I want. I am very fond of beautiful things, and my collection means a lot to me. And I don't think that I have many rivals to fight against. I've heard the rumors ever since I returned to London. It seems that a Mr. Uzumaki is very picky and turns everyone down, both women and men. Do you think that anyone will continue to court you and risk to get turned down as well?"

"In that case I'm very surprised that you take that risk." Naruto answered dryly and kept the nauseating feeling of people gossiping about him back.

"But I said that I get what I want, and I want you, Naruto. Just think about it, the triumph of being able to get the perfect debutant, the Perfect young man who had turned so many people down. You will be wonderful as my mate at my manor. I will be visiting you soon. But now some gentlemen awaits me for a game of cards. God evening, my dear."

While Naruto watched him saunter back and smile to say goodbye to the hostess, he wanted to scream and smash his glass against the wall and do many other unthinkable things, but only the dark glitter that shone in his eyes revealed his deepest thoughts.

Somewhere deep inside of him a boy woke up. The boy he was before he met Sasuke. Older? Yes. More socially trained and polished? Yes. But still with that rebel fire roaring, his adventurous spirit came to life once more and stared out to a hostile world with new, defiant eyes.

SasuNaruSasuNaru SasuNaruSasuNaru SasuNaruSasuNaru SasuNaruSasuNaru.

The next day while he was taking a walk in Hyde Park with one of his mothers, and sometimes his own, chambermaid he saw a neat wagon come towards them on the road. The one holding the reins was no other than Lady Haruno Sakura, with a delightful hat on her bubblegum pink head and a beautiful midnight blue day dress. She was laughing enthusiastically while she controlled the two horses with flicks and pulls from her hands.  
With a jolt Naruto did not only realized that the man next to her was Uchiha Sasuke, but he also had one of his hands over Sakura's on the reins and was also laughing lightly at her joy.

They swept past Naruto and for a moment he thought that they hadn't seen him, but then the horses slowed down abruptly and started togo backwards. Naruto could hear Sasuke's voice.

"You have to hold your hands lower, Sakura, for god's sake! You have to make the two of them walk in harmony backwards, not try to make them jump over the fences!"

The wagon came alongside Naruto just as Sasuke with an unmistakable pride said: "Good girl! I told you that you could do it. Good morning, Mr. Uzumaki. I am sorry, but we passed before I recognized you. I hope that your family is well?" His eyes asked something else and Naruto felt a wave of emotions and warmth over that he did not only remember that he had been upset, but that he was tactful enough to not mention it in front of lady Sakura.

"I couldn't be better, Colonel." He answered and was amazed over his composed self. "We are all doing fine."

"Excellent. Do you and Lady Sakura know each other?"

"Oh yes, we do," Lady Sakura said with a small laugh. "We know each other by our faces and names, isn't that right Mr. Uzumaki? And Of course I have seen you on my Aunts prom" _As most of the other from this society has_, her facial expression added while her eyes was on Naruto. It was obvious the she didn't like that another debutant attracted the Colonels attention.

"That's right." Naruto could feel how his leather gloves squeaked as he clenched his fists. "And I saw you. What a beautiful dress you have. Have a good day and a pleasant ride, Lady Haruno, Colonel."

He forced himself to smile while he turned his heels around and started to walk back home again. Nothing mattered anymore, the only thing he could do was to embrace every diversion that came his way so that he wouldn't have any time to think about Sasuke.

His mother noticed his sons silence and gloomy appearance with a worried frown when he returned, but in a matter of few days she discovered that her son's unwillingness to communicate was the least of her problems.

When two weeks had passed, the list of scandalous behavior from her charming, delightful, obedient and perfect son included that he had flirted with every man and woman he had met, played card and dice games alone with three other young gentlemen in a private room at a party, galloped down the Rotten Row and eaten Ice cream with lord Akimichi after he said he had "lost" his chambermaid, all this and also happened to conveniently avoid Lord Sai every time he went to visit.  
His mother had have enough. Everything together had led to Lord Minato into action. That resulted in a painful conversation. Naruto was forbidden to attend at parties until they left to visit Tenten in two weeks, and also had to endure the humiliation of not being allowed to leave at all if his mother didn't tag along.

"I don't understand what's going on." His father Minato exclaimed with more sadness than anger. "At your age you're mother had already got married, had children and was the ruler of a large household, while you act like a sixteen-year-old child who doesn't know any better. Lord Sai will soon lose his patience with you, and if he knows about your shameful moves and acts he will also lose his interest for you."

All alone in his room he pondered about the lecture he received from his father with little remorse. He was too numb to put any more effort into it, even if his hopes of driving away Sai gave him a small glimpse of joy.

Sadly enough had all his moves and adventures not helped to distract his mind from constantly returning to the thought of Sasuke. But this was at least a bit stimulating instead of dryly fading away and become an old sorrowful man, which seemed to be the only alternative to an unwanted marriage.

Therefore nothing could stop Naruto from his plans for the night. His plans contained the plans of leaving the house through the backdoor after they thought that he had fallen asleep, and meet up with his old friend Yamanaka Ino. Three nights before this one they had met each other at a reception and Ino had announced that she wanted to attend the masquerade ball at Vauxhall Gardens. And she was sure that Naruto would have much fun there as well.

Mrs. Uzumaki didn't like Ino, she saw her as shallow and too easy going, but as far as she knew, Ino and Naruto had never been very close, and therefore it would be unlikely that Lady Ino would mislead her son. And the thought of them going to Vauxhall for a masquerade was far from Mrs. Uzumaki's imagination.

With the mask haning in one of his hands, Naruto snuck out and was picked up by Ino's wagon flawlessly.

No one would know a thing, and he had always wanted to go to a masquerade.


	3. Chapter 3

Starting from zero, we got nothing to lose.

*

Vauxhall Gardens appeared like an enchanted dream to Naruto. Thousands of lights glowed and glimmered between the branches of the trees and framed pavilions with a magical light. Every corner on the path opened up to new views filled with partying and joy. Music and laughter hung in the air, and for the first hour Naruto and Ino spent the time to just walk around and watch the other people around them and feel strangely safe behind their masks.

Lady Yamanaka had invited a large group of her friends, and despite that Naruto thought these young ladies and gentlemen appeared remarkably free in their ways of behaving, the men didn't waste any second and flirted, and all the other debutants seemed to have fun at it. He felt oddly comfortable among all the commotion.

Naruto politely declined a glass of champagne when they came to what appeared to be an outdoor dining, to eat something small before they all joined in on the dance. While everyone became more and more drunk, Naruto stayed sober and had a clear mind and was well aware of the things that happened around him.  
He realized that his mother would most likely faint in front of all the scenes that he witnessed, but Naruto only observed with a calm and chilly air. He even felt a little bit amused and curious.

But he would soon be sorry that he had accepted a dance with a young gentleman who was a terrible dancer, or maybe he was just too drunk to dance properly.

"It's ok, don't worry about it." He assured for the third time after the young man once again had stomped down on his toes. "Isn't it crowded here? Ow!" He stomped down on Naruto's foot again and lost his balance, grabbed at Naruto's shoulder and tore some of his shirt and jacket open. Naruto quickly pulled it back up his shoulder and started to close the buttons that had ripped open at the commotion, but noticed that some straps that included the outfit had come undone over the shoulder and back at his neck. He couldn't get them together right in the neck as long as he wore his mask.

"Could we step aside for a moment?" While his dance partner kept apologizing for his clumsiness, he helped Him away from there and held his mask while Naruto straightened out and corrected his costume.

"Would you like to dance again?" the young gentleman asked as he gave Naruto back his black satin mask.

"And get his toes completely smashed? I don't think so, young man." Lord Sai showed up by his side, masked with his unmistakable dark eyes glistening behind his mask. "May I escort you back home, Mr. Uzumaki?" He turned violently to Naruto's partner, who took a step backward. "We will not take up any more of your time, Young man."

"Yes, thank you for the dance, sir," Naruto said. "It's all right, I know this man."

The youngster bowed and walked away, and seemed offended by the abrupt goodbye. Naruto didn't blame him.

"Would you join me back to my friend, lord Sai? She is right over there." Naruo forced himself to be calm, even if his mind was about to burst with thoughts. He didn't afford to make a scene here, especially since he wasn't even supposed to be here.

"You mean that lively young lady in the purple dress?" Naruto nodded. "Surely she doesn't seem like one of your friends that your mother would approve of." He took Naruto's arm and started to steer him away from Ino and the others. "And where does your mother think you are right now?"

Naruto could feel his cheeks blush in embarrassment, but couldn't stop himself and tried to avoid eye contact.

"Oh, she thinks you're at home, sleeping. I think that it's for the best if I bring you back and make her beliefs come true."

"No! I can't just abandon Lady Yamanaka like that." But judging by the firm grip on his arm, Naruto knew he had to do as Sai said if he did not want to start scream and fight to break free. "At least I have to go and thank her for tonight and tell her that I'm leaving. Otherwise she will worry and wonder where I went."

"Very well." He could feel Sai's gaze on him and tried to put on a smile before they reached Ino and the others. "Don't sulk, Naruto, it doesn't suit you at all. Imagine how disappointed I am to find my future spouse here in such a company."

"I'm not your future spouse!" Naruto almost spat out, before he quickly closed his mouth when he saw a tall man appeared before them in a black suit with a petite lady in a red dress holding his arm.

"Naruto." Of course it was Sasuke, who else? He remembered that he hadn't putted back his mask yet. With fumbling hands he hurried to put it back on without being able to look Sasuke in the eyes. "Are you in trouble, Mr. Uzumaki?"

"Not at all. I'm just a bit overwhelmed by the crowds, sir. I was just about to leave. Have a good evening." From previously been Sai's prisoner, Naruto now almost dragged him after himself away towards Ino and left Sasuke behind staring at them.  
… .

"**What** the…? Who was he in company with?"

"Oh, that was Lord Sai," His female companion answered confidently. "I would recognize his face and dark eyes anywhere. He is a good match, but he makes my skin crawl. It seems like the perfect Mr. Uzumaki has turned a bit naughty."

Uchiha Sasuke looked down at her.  
"Just as bad as you then, Sakura, you little shrew. Come on, let's go home, otherwise your father will cut off your spending money and bite my head off."

She laughed. "Not when I tell him you came to rescue me away from here, my dear Sasuke."

"Which you already knew I would, since you left me a note about it!" He pointed out.

While he escorted her away from the dance floor he let his eyes wander in search for the blonde man in a dark blue masquerade suit.

Goth~Goth~Loli~Loli~ Goth~Goth~Loli~Loli~ Goth~Goth~Loli~Loli~ Goth~Goth~Loli~Loli

Naruto sat in the corner as far away from Sai as possible in his wagon and was anxiously preparing himself in case the earl would try to kiss him. But to his relief he didn't even seem to try when they sat there, waiting and looking out the windows into the dark streets.

Torches outside the houses cast a flickering light around them and he noticed that Sai seemed deep in thoughts. After a while he couldn't stand the silence anymore. "I hope you didn't have to part from your company this evening because of me."

"Not at all. I was just wondering what the best thing would be to tell your parents. I wouldn't want them to be mad at you for no reason."

"To tell them? Absolutely not! I will just sneak in without anyone noticing."

"You shock me, Naruto! Of course I can't act so sneaky. And I can't allow you to do so either. I have to tell them. For when it all comes around we are all alone, the two of us, in a closed wagon."

"Are you saying.. You think that I..?"

"I know that your parents would love to see us get married. I can imagine that they anxiously waits for our engagement."

Naruto stared speechless at him for a while, before he found his voice. "I wouldn't marry you Sai, Even if you so were the last available person on the earth."

"Hardly an original answer to reply with, darling. Here is your neighborhood. I don't think we need to surprise them, they appear to already know of your absence."

Sai was right. The lights were on in the kitchen when they parked the wagon outside. Feeling numb, Naruto let himself be led to from the wagon to the door. His mother gave him a stern glance and told him to wait in the hall while she disappeared to the dining hall with the earl and her husband.

He had no clue how his absence had been discovered.  
It seemed like hours when Naruto sat in the chilly hall, and at the same time he started to feel cold, and was haunted with the thoughts of Sasuke seeing him together with Sai.

His parents finally came out with serious faces, but at the same time they had something triumphant in their eyes.

"Naruto," his father started in a grave tone. "You sure are lucky to avoid the aftermath of your foolish actions. Against all reason the earl seems to still fancy you and want to marry you. He has agreed to wait until the end of the week for you to recover from your ill-considered actions, but when he comes back to propose to you, you _**w**_**ill **say yes."

"No!" Naruto flew up on his feet with clenched fists and said in a shaky voice. "No, I will never get married to that man."

"In that case I don't know what to do with you," His father told him, who also stood up. "You will go to your great-aunt in Bath. She needs a new companion, and since we can't let you go out anymore here in London, and even less at Brighton where we soon will go, that is the best place for you."

"My great-Aunt?" Naruto's tired brain struggled with the shock. "But she never leaves her property anymore."

"That's right." Kushina confirmed sternly. "I'm sure that she will appreciate your company. You can read to her, maybe help her to sow and walk in the garden, and help her maintain her guests when they come visit her." She paused. "I will tell the earl that we didn't have any other choice but to send you off to visit and help her, now when she is in such bad condition. We can only hope that he still holds any interest in a few months when you have come back to your senses again!"

Naruto thought about his sentence. Deported to Bath, to a household full of old people and diseases, to a relative who scared him and without any distractions at all that could keep Colonel Uchiha Sasuke away from his mind. And after several months in captivity, his only hope at a so called life was that lord Sai would still be interested to marry him.  
And scarily enough he believed that he would be that. He didn't seem like a man that could take a **no** for an answer.  
He was a man that could, and would, chase all around Europe just to make it before a rival, if it was about a particular beautiful and shiny statue.

"Please, don't send me away." He said in a shaky voice that promised tears. "I will be so bored and miserable over there."

"You should have thought of that before you threw yourself into wild adventures." His father answered a bitterly. "Your mother will write to your great-aunt tomorrow. I can only hope that she is prepared to endure your presence when she will find out about what you have been doing lately."

His father tightened the robe around his body and added with an unconsciously cruel voice: "Maybe then you can think about and imagine living your life all alone until you grow old, and realize that the perks of living a happy family-life with a dedicated spouse is more worth it than this temporarily lifestyle you have chosen to get into."

Naruto slowly made his way up to his bedroom, well aware that he wouldn't be able to fall asleep. What would he do? With his forehead leaned against the window, he stood and stared out into the darkness. Where did he belong?  
He would probably end up being someone's unmarried cousin, uncle or dedicated grandson, Naruto thought bitterly. _`Dear Naruto is so nice to all the children, and can always help the elder ones…´_Not that he had anything against children or old people, but he had hoped to adopt or get children of his own,- with Sasuke. It wasn't unusual these days for a same-gender couple to legally hire someone to help them give birth to their children.

He suddenly turned away from the window, determined to not let himself be defeated. His life didn't seem like his own anymore, and he was the only one who could take it back.

"Strategy and Tactics." He said out loud. Strategy and tactics. Then his energy suddenly left him and he sat down on the edge of his bed. Strategy didn't really work without any goals or targets.  
He stretched his back. He had trained to become the spouse of a military colonel, and now he had to use his courage that he was proud to have inside of him. The short term goal had to decide what he would do for the rest of his life, and his strategy was to go somewhere where he could think about it in peace.  
It certainly wouldn't be in Bath where he would be the disobedient nephew who needed to be closely watched and lectured in their eyes.

So… Naruto bit his lower lip. Who would he escape to? Not Tenten and Neji at his manor, she was heavily pregnant and could give birth any week or so now. Our family had decided to visit her after she had delivered the baby. Then there was his uncle Jiraya, but he was out on one of his many trips. One by one, Naruto counted them down, and came down to that the only one who would help him was Tenten, **maybe** his older sister. _Or an old friend._

Naruto thoughtfully lifted up a notebook from his drawer and wrote down: '_Kurama, Lincoln'_. He had no idea of how his sister would react to this letter, even less of how her husband would, bud he didn't really care either. They would be a good distraction and decoy for everyone else.

His absolutely best friend in school had been Haku.  
Haku's last name was now Momochi, since he married his big time crush, an older and quite scary looking man named Momochi Zabusa. They made an odd, but adorable couple. Where Haku was so beautiful and petite in a feminine way, even if he was a boy, Zabusa was a tall and muscular man and could have a really cruel and scary expression. His expression softened remarkably when he looked at his spouse, though.  
Haku often wrote and complained that Naruto never visited him anymore, and that he missed his dear childhood friend and that he should visit whenever he had the chance.

"If I go to visit Haku, I first have to take the wagon towards Lincoln, and then switch wagon one time to get there, if not two. That way everyone will think that I'm headed over to Kurama, But I'm really going to Haku." He resonated with himself. "When they realize that I'm not visiting Kurama, I will be long gone." He also wrote down the location East Anglia next to Lincoln.

Would his mother suspect that he had gone to visit Haku? Nah, His mother had never wanted to read Naruto's letters from his old friends, and Naruto doubted that she even knew Haku's new last name after he'd gotten married. Something came to his mind… East Anglia.. One of his aunts, of course! His father's youngest sister. The sister that no one was allowed to speak or contact because of her scandalous marriage from someone without a title.

But Naruto had once heard his parents talk about her, and he had never brought it up to anyone, but he hadn't forgotten about it either.

"I'm sorry," had Kushina told Minato. "But she is still your sister, and despite the scandal I will write to her once a year around christmas to hear how she has it and tell her about our lives as well."

"Her scandal almost become the death of our father," had his father angrily replied. "Is she the kind of woman you would like your children to get to know and hang out with?"

"Nonsense," Had Kushina calmly said. "Just because I send her some Christmas cards she will not have bad influence on our children and send them into one scandal after the other. You have to be fair to your sister. Has she ever tried to return to London or visit us here?"

His father's mumbling answer was too low to be heard and Naruto, who was ashamed that he had been eavesdropping, had left the door to his father's working office and walked away.  
So somewhere in East Anglia he had a scandalous aunt. Would she understand him? Could Naruto talk to her and find someone to confide in, and get advice from?

But how could he find and contact her? Naruto soon realized that if his mother wrote to her every Christmas, she probably had her address in her book with all the other addresses and birthdays and so on.  
He rose from his bed, opened the door to the dark and quiet house and went downstairs.

_SasuNaruSasuNaruSasuNaru SasuNaruSasu _3_NaruSasuNaru SasuNaruSasuNaruSasuNaru _

**Three** days after Naruto's catastrophic masquerade party, Colonel Uchiha Sasuke held in his two dark grey horses and wagon outside of Neji and Tenten's big House.

He felt a bit wounded, anxious and insulted at the same time, and Tenten's warm personality and common sense, and Neji's loyal friendship had shined like a light in the darkness on his way from his family home. He had met them when he traveled to town from his own property after he had made his painful, short visit to his parents. He was now on his way back to them to get their support.

He handed over the reins to a stableman and jumped down to the ground.  
"Take them to the stable, and tell your master that I will stay for a day or two. If that won't do you can take them to a temporary pine, but I think that there is room for them since they won't stay here for long."

The stableman drove them away along the road and Sasuke took the stairs two steps at a time. The door opened up by their butler, who allowed himself to smile at the sight of their visitor.

"Colonel Uchiha. It's a pleasure to see you again, sir. Master Hyuuga is still out, but Lady Tenten is in the blue room. She doesn't allow any visitors, but if it's you I don't think she will complain. Are you going to stay for a longer time? Your usual room is available."

"Thank you." Sasuke handed over his hat and gloves. "I hope that lady Tenten doesn't mind a guest for one or two days."

He went up the stairs to the elegant room on the second floor where Tenten's favorite room where and opened the door. "May I come in?"

"Sasuke!" She was half sitting up with the help of pillows under a blanket. A big welcoming smile started to bloom on her lips.

He went in to her, happy over her joy. He sometimes wondered if he would ever find someone like his best friend's wife, if he could love someone like Neji loved Tenten, someone who would answer his feelings with the same amount of passionate dedication.

"For Heaven's sake, Tenten!" He stopped in front of her and smirked mischievously. "When is it scheduled for the baby to come? I have witnessed and delivered a child once, But that isn't something I want to experience again."

Tenten opened her arms in a hug and giggled when he tried to kiss her stomach. Papers with notes fell unnoticed down from the bed to the carpet. "It's not due for about another six weeks, Sasuke, so you don't have to worry. Have you really delivered a child? Who was the baby's mother and father?"

"She was the wife of one of my men in the army. The father passed out, the doctor chopped of some poor man's leg and there weren't any other women around, so the task fell on me." He gave Tenten a warm smile. It felt like home. "Six weeks? Are you sure you're not expecting twins?"

"What!" Tenten looked at him with big eyes. "It couldn't be, could it? There are no twins in our family history as far as I know, and it is hereditary, isn't it?"

"I think so, but I'm only teasing with you Tenten. How are you? I'm surprised that you are here in town. Weren't you supposed to be out at the countryside where and relax?"

"I'm fine, but I am tired of feeling like a stranded whale. I can't even remember the last time I saw my own two feet! But never mind that, what are you doing here? Can you stay until we return to the countryside? That would be wonderful."

"Are you sure? I wouldn't be in your way then?"

"Not at all! And you can distract Neji so he stops pamper me to death. He and I quarrel because I don't want to meet anyone of those famous midwives, which were my condition for coming here. Neji says that even if I only want to shop I have to go right back to the country and rest. But in any case we will stay here for another two days." She leaned down on the pillows and watched Sasuke with her big, chocolate-brown eyes. "The decanters are over there. Get yourself a drink and then come back here beside me."

Sasuke did what she told him to do and sunk down in a chair next to the bed.

"Now tell me what's wrong, Sasuke." She begged.

"Wrong?" He moved so that he sat sideways away from her and didn't meet her eyes.

"Yeah,. wrong." Tenten put a hand on his shoulder. "It looks like you've been kicked while lying down, figuratively speaking."

Sasuke put on of his hands on top of hers. "How perceptive of you. That is exactly how I feel right now. I went home to my family's manor two days ago since my mother wrote that she was worried about father. The doctor thinks that he had some kind of stroke last month, because half of his face is stiff and he limp when he walks. Of course he denies that anything is wrong with him."

"How old is the general, I mean your father?"

"Only sixty, but he has lived a rough life. Being wounded at least seven times, got several bone fractures and survived a lot of diseases over the years. He was never the kind of man who would wait comfortably for his title at the headquarters. Now it all starts to catch up to him, but he is too stubborn to admit it. And our property is too big for one man to handle…"

"So you went home to see him?" Tenten squeezed Sasuke's hand.

"Yes. I didn't want to go right away when I arrived at England, since I didn't want him to suspect why I came back. My plan was to judge by myself how he was holding it up and sell my officer-title if he was really bad. I was thinking of trying to breed and take care of horses at the same time as I would take over the responsibility of the property. Not so much right away, only the parts that tires him out so much."

"And then gradually he would let you handle more and more, so that he eventually had to admit that he can't handle them?"

"Yes, that was my plan." He sat in silence for a while. The pain from his father's reaction was almost too fresh in mind to talk about. "Where is Neji?"

Tenten laughed. "At one of his many clubs, since I don't want him to pamper and spoil me rotten. If he stays at home he gets too nervous." She paused. "How did your father react?"

"Bad."

"Tell me." She asked.

"He demanded to know what had mad me to decide to lose my spark and sell my title, _´like a coward'_." Sasuke harshly said. Tenten gasped.

"He didn't really mean it," Sasuke continued with a lighter voice now that he had let the words out from his system. "He expects me to also become a general, and at a younger age than he was. I think that he deep down knows why I talk about selling and he is raging against his own weakness, not mine."

"I don't think that it hurts any less because of that." Tenten answered and lifted her hand to caress his cheek. Sasuke felt his cheek against her knuckles and felt comforted. Neji was one lucky man.

"No. And he knows that he's been unfair but not how he will make things right again. So he managed to find another sin to accuse me for, to justify his anger."

"And what would that be?"

"He wants to know what I am doing flirting around with Lady Haruno Sakura without asking for her hand. He thinks that she is a great catch, and can't stand to hear that I'm playing with her emotions."

"Are you?" Tenten wondered.

"What? Flirting or playing?"

"Are you going to marry her?" Tenten bit off.

"I don't and won't do either of them. I've known Sakura since childhood when I was ten years old and she was still in diapers. She is the sister I never had and I would rather marry a monkey. I feel a deep sympathy for the poor fool who will marry her. She is the worst little shrew that I've ever met."

"So you are not in love with her?" Tenten stubbornly asked.

"Of course I love her, but only as a sister, and both her and her parents know that. She has practiced how to flirt on me since she was eleven, since she knows that its safe, and her mother likes that I escort her around the city since she knows she can trust me. I scare off the players and gold diggers and Sakura can play a lady as much as she wants." He paused. "But she is probably the season's most attractive Lady, which my father knows all too well. Some old hag told him that she had seen me ride with Sakura in the park and danced with her a little too much, and that's enough for him. Oh, and one more thing," he added bitterly. "Her father didn't want her to learn how to drive since his sister managed to get into an accident, and that's why she tricked me to convince the poor man that I could teach her."

"You are a very good driver and rider, Sasuke." Tenten pointed out.

"Yes, and it is well known that I don't let anyone else ride or drive with my horses, so my father put two and two together and makes it six, and then he doesn't see any signs of me doing the right thing. And by the way he acts he is trying to tell me to get married and have children already, and look at your friend lord Hyuuga Neji who already has a wife who is pregnant!"

"Oh, you poor thing." Tenten said indignantly. "He sure has lectured you. What are you going to do? Oh, I think that Neji is coming now."

The door was opened and Earl Hyuuga Neji stepped in. When he saw who sat next to his wife his face lit up in a wide smile. "Sasuke! No, don't get up." He bent down and dunked his friend in the back, shook his hand and slumped down on the edge of the bed next to his wife. "Are you staying here for a while? Is that why you are here flirting with my wife?"

"He isn't flirting," Tenten laughed. "He thinks that we maybe will have twins."

"What!" Neji stared at them both. "Are you serious? And what do you know about that stuff?"

"He told me that he has already witnessed a birth."

"But not with twins," Sasuke hurried to add. "No, don't you dare hit me! But to kiss your lovely wife is like to reach her over a pile of pillows. So someone has either counted the time wrong, or it is twins. Or even triplets…" he added and ducked away from Neji's fists.

"Oh, stop it both of you!" Tenten hollered and hit them both over their heads. "I could just as well have been with two little brats than you two. Sasuke will stay until we return back to the countryside and he had a terrible time at home with his father. Sasuke, tell him."

Sasuke told his story once again. When he came to his father's reaction about selling his title, Neji became very still for a while before he leaned in and grabbed Sasuke's shoulder in a comforting way. Sasuke felt a burning sensation behind his eyelids and finished his story.

"How mad is the general, then?" Neji asked.

"Mad enough to disinherit me."

"Can he do that?" Neji wondered.

Sasuke just shook his head with a sad smile. The painful memories of their conversation were getting easier to deal with, now when he was here with Neji and Tenten and could talk about it.

"I already have money that I inherited from my grandmother, and also a great amount of money from my work as a colonel, and he can't do anything about that. If he really want to disown me he can find a few acres of land and a few farms and enclosures to give to some else. And also the furniture, of course. But he doesn't really mean it."

"And what will you do?" Tenten still didn't feel good about this.

"My mother has commanded me to come to London and live a dissolute and riotous lifestyle." He turned his head and smirked at Tenten. "I was about to rent a room, but I was hoping that I could stay here instead."

"Dissolute and riotous? But why?"

"She says that he soon will hear about it and will command me to come home to be lectured. Then he will decide that the best for me will be to stay and take it easy at the property for a while."

Tenten laughed. "How cunning of your mother! If he thinks that you in reality want to stay here in London, the best punishment will be for you to return home to help out with the property. After a few weeks he will be so used by it, that you can get the results you want over there."

"Have it ever occurred to you that your mother is a way better tactician than your father?" Neji asked with a grin.

"All the time. She always win,s and the poor old man never knows how." Sasuke moved his legs and tramped on some papers that had fell from the bed and rustled. ""I'm sorry, it seems like I'm ruffling the letter you were reading.

"Oh dear!" Tenten let out and picked up the papers from the floor with some help from Sasuke. "It's from aunt Kushina," she explained. "She sent a servant with this this morning, just after Neji had left. The contents are unbelievable. It says that she is sending Naruto to her great-aunt in Bath, since he has gotten in some trouble."

"I'm going to the library." Sasuke was about to heave himself up from the chair. "I'm sure you want to discuss this in privacy."

"No, please stay. You are part of this family, Sasuke, and since you're going to stay here you need to know what's going on." She skimmed trough the letter. "And it doesn't say anything of any.. delicate or private matters."

"Oh, so nothing about eloping with the priest, or an unfortunate result of a romantic meeting with a servant? " Neji said and got a dark look from his wife.

"I still think it's best if I leave." Sasuke said. "I can go rent a room at a Hotel before I decide which apartment to rent. Your aunt will probably visit and discuss the matter, and she will feel bothered when knows that I stay here as well."

"Don't be stupid, Sasuke! We need your help to solve this mystery. Aunt Kushina says that it all started at that grand prom the Duchess had a while ago. Naruto became drunk on champagne, flirted around shamelessly and then did almost everything that could give him a bad rumor and reputation of being easy. And to top it all he seems to refuse to get married to a noble gentleman whose name isn't written down in this letter."

"Naruto? Drunk on champagne?" Neji looked astonished. "That boy is a like a role-model for respectability and proper behavior."

"The Duchess grand prom..?" Sasuke sat down in the chair again. "Oh."  
His friends whipped their heads at him and stared. "Don't look at me like that! I haven't seduced him or anything. But I think that I could have made him drink that glass..." he stopped himself and looked out into nothing while he tried to remember. "He had received a large shock of some sort, and that's why I gave him a few glasses of champagne."

He had forgotten about his meetings with Naruto when he'd started his arguments with his father, but now when he looked back at the contents of Mrs. Uzumakis letter, everything seemed to fall into place.

"At the prom I found him sitting outside a resting room, and he looked like he was in some kind of shock." He continued.

"You mean that someone could have acted or said anything indecent or horrible towards him?" Tenten asked.

"No, not that kind of shock." He remembered the hollow look in those big, azure eyes and suddenly realized what that gaze reminded him of. "Neji, you remember what effect the first battle had on some of the new young officers who came to the Siberian half-island without any experience? Those who thought that the war was all about the glory and shining armors, flying banners and roaring trumpet's?"

"And then discovered that is was blood and mud and butchery, with chaos and a lot of noises and screams…" Neji stopped and Tenten understood that they were in a different place in their heads right now, somewhere where she couldn't follow. "Yeah, I remember. What about it?"

"Naruto had the same hollow gaze as the other men had after their first battle, as if his greatest dream had been crushed into pieces and faded away in front of his eyes, and his world was in ruins. He was very pale and his hands trembled. I asked him what was wrong, but he wouldn't say anything. I assumed that it was about unrequited love. We spoke about neutral subjects for a while. After about two glasses of champagne he was well enough to dance the waltz, which I think helped…" Sasuke stopped talking and remembered the slender figure who had danced flawlessly in his arms, the big eyes that seemed to trust Sasuke, and the feeling of wanting to find the possible man who so obviously had hurt him.

They discussed the matter a bit further and speculated on who it could be that had hurt Naruto so, and who his proposer could be. After a little while Tenten went to rest.

Sasuke walked over to his usual guest room. While Neji's servant helped him unpack his things he paced back and forth and fought the urge to ride home this instant and see how is father was feeling. To distract himself from his grumpy father, he thought about Uzumaki Naruto. To his surprise he realized that the memory was pleasant. With a frown he told himself that he only was curious on what had happened to turn a perfect debutant into an adventurous loose young man. But there had been something more, something that stayed hidden behind the pain in those alluring azure/aquamarine eyes, something that seemed to speak directly to him.

He seated himself in the big armchair where he at last found a little bit of rest. His body answered to Uzumaki Naruto in a very inappropriate way.  
It was over two months ago that he had broken up with his mistress, Karin, in Portugal. There were of course some attractive persons here in London who had dubious virtue, and it wasn't like he had any trouble finding anyone interested in him. His mother had made and suggested a list of what he could and could not do.

"Playing cards, my dear, and alcohol," She had told him. "I know you master them both, so no worries there. Show yourself on the most notorious places. Maybe you can by a racing horse? You have to flirt, of course, but not with any debutants, that goes without saying. Do you know of any light-footed married women?"

"No one else but you, my dear mother." He had retorted and smirked in to her amused, dark black/blue eyes.

_**~Timeskip~ ~Timeskip~~Timeskip~ ~Timeskip~~Timeskip~ ~Timeskip~ **_

After an hour or so Tenten was tired of resting and called back Neji and Sasuke to give her company, and tell them that she didn't have a clue on how to help her aunt.

"Send Sasuke over there so he can sit and listen with sympathy," Neji said absently when it knocked on the door. "Who could that be?"

The butler came to their door. "It's Mrs. Uzumaki Kushina, milord." The butler squeezed himself against the doorframe when Uzumaki Kushina almost ran in to the room.

"Oh, Tenten my dear, Neji… Oh!" both her niece and the earl looked at her with concern from the bed at other side of the room, which Neji told his wife to lay down in for at least another hour. Kushina started to cry.

It took about five minutes and a dose of scented salt before they could calm her down. Sasuke's escape route had been cut off by some incoming chambermaids and other random people who were running around, and he pulled himself to the corner furthest away from everything, while he hoped that his presence wouldn't be noticed. Hysterical women suited him even less than loose-footed ones.

Then Tenten could finally ask what were wrong. Her aunt looked at her with tear-filled eyes trough her handkerchief and was able to gasp out:

"Naruto is missing. He has run away from home."

Eventually the whole story was told. Naruto had disappeared from his room but wasn't declared missing until it was time for lunch, they presumed that he was just hiding from his unwanted proposer that would come visit that same day, and his parents wasn't in the mood to force him to come out.

When his mother had enough and opened the door to his room, he was already gone. He had only left a short note on the desk saying that he was going somewhere where he could think.

After several hours of searching and going through his stuff and letters from different friends all around town, they knew it was hopeless. They didn't know what to do. Lord Minato had suffered from gout and it seemed like Tenten and Neji was their last hope.

Neji threw a glance over Tenten's now white, shocked face and said in a determined voice:

"I'm sorry, aunt Uzumaki, but I just can't leave Tenten in this condition right now."

"No, of course I understand that you can't do that," Kushina said desperately. "I should've thought of that. Then I have to go to the police now, but we have already lost one whole day…"

"I will go find him." Sasuke pronounced and stood up so that everyone jumped in surprise. They had almost forgotten that he was there.

"Oh, Sasuke, Thank you!" Tenten burst out with warmth in her voice. "I had completely forgotten that you were here. Aunt Kushina, Sasuke is staying here with us for now. It couldn't be better!"

"You can trust that I will use my fullest discretion, but you have to tell me everything about what you think is wrong and where he could have run off to." Sauske briskly said, just to stumble backwards when the upset ladies threw themselves at his chest and started to cry against his shoulder.

After what seemed like years to Sasuke, Kushina finally put herself together and looked up to him with eyes that held a desperate faith in him that he would find her son.  
Sasuke already bitterly regretted his promise.

_`But what the heck could I do? Where should I start?´ _Sasuke thought grimly to himself. Neji and Tenten would worry half to death otherwise, and the Uzumaki-family had always welcomed him as one of their own.

And just the thought of the blonde boy with such pain in his azure blue eyes, calling for his help woke echoes of pain of his own.

~Tbc~ ~Tbc~


	4. Chapter 4

Starting from zero, we got nothing to lose.  
AN: I don't own Naruto. Hope you will enjoy and tell me what you think! :)  
English isn't my spoken language, so please tell me if I'd done some errors, so will I fix them as soon as I can! (:  
…*…*…*…

Two days after Kushina had arrived in panic to Neji and Tenten, Her elapsed son sat in his bed in the best room at the inn called The white deer, and thought that perhaps he wouldn't die, after all.

It had been the meatloaf he had eaten without any care on his way that had been his fall. Almost immediately he knew that it was a mistake to eat it, but he'd been so hungry that he was willing to pay for the meatloaf and a small glass of beverage when the wagon halted for a quick break.

Everything had so far gone a little too smoothly. Almost childishly easy. He had packed a carefully chosen bag with the most basic and important necessities, and taken his most modest and average suit and coat he could find furthest back in the closet. He had forcefully combed down his wild hair in a neat and dull hairdo, he had removed all of his accessories and now looked like he was a good governess, which was his goal from the beginning.  
A Governess was an invisible young man or woman, who could travel unnoticed with stagecoach without as much as a glance or comment.

To find the right Inn to start from had demanded a bit more initiative, but with a close and accurate look at fathers map over London in his office showed which one he should choose to get to Lincoln. A shy governess who asked for directions to Lincoln at six in the morning wasn't something to remember, apparently.

Fact was, he felt remarkably pleased with himself and his strategy. He wondered if Sasuke would be proud of him with his schemes and plans, but quickly choked down the thoughts. His only trouble for now was how he was going from here, to Haku in Lincoln.

Naruto pressed his hand to his side and felt the comforting bump of his wallet, which he had strapped to his belt under his coat. He had just received his monthly spending money, and he also had a good amount of money left from his birthday. The least of his worries for this trip was money-issues.

He damned himself for just `craving´ that godforsaken meatloaf! Only the heaven knew what it was made of, and how long it could have waited out in the heat in some kitchen before he had eaten it. When they had made a quick stop to pick up some other passengers Naruto started to feel nauseous, and two stops later he knew that he was going to get sick at any moment.

The stagecoach had pulled over at The white deer, and he jumped off and was able to ask the coachman to unload his luggage before he dived in behind a barn and threw up violently. When he a while later came back from behind the barn the stagecoach had left, but luckily for him it turned out that the hostess was a nice and motherly woman, who helped Naruto. He explained that he was a governess who traveled back to his employers who lived in Lincoln and had fallen ill along the way.

"I'm sure it must have been that I ate some spoiled food, and now I'm a bit food poisoned," Naruto explained, exhausted. "But I can't travel under these circumstances. Luckily they don't expect me for another week, so they won't get worried. Is there a room available here for me to rent?"

The hostess was impressed of how neat and well-spoken this young man was, and felt assured when she saw how thick his wallet was. She thought it was such a shame that such fine young man's future was to only become a better servant.

"Follow me, dear," she had invited him over. "Luckily we have our finest room left, and I can send a maid up to look after you."

The maid had a lot to do during those days. Naruto was in really bad shape, and the hostess even considered calling for a doctor. But the following day he was feeling better, even if he still was pale. He managed to eat a piece of bread and drink some water without throwing it right up again.

Naruto was in bed and pondered about the situation. This was a setback, and he worried that he risked to get discovered before he took off again to Haku. But otherwise his plan was still solid. But his delay had made Naruto to think about things, and for some reason had his old and worn out book about tactics and strategies come to his mind. After a few chapters he had thrown it aside, not able to read anymore even if it would impress Sasuke. What had struck him as idiotic was that the writer had come up with all kinds of cunning and crafty maneuvers, without once even consider that the enemy may just do as they pleased, and with that wreck all the opponents plans.

That was exactly what he had done. Planned a life together with Sasuke, without for one second think that he could do and feel something else.  
He came to his senses. He had'n even thought about the real man, but only the object of his dreams. His innocent and inexperienced fantasies.

Did the man he loved exist at all?

S.N.S.N. S.N.S.N. S.N.S.N. S.N.S.N. S.N.S.N. S.N.S.N. S.N.S.N. S.N.S.N.* S.N.S.N. S.N.S.N. S.N.S.N.

Meanwhile Uchiha Sasuke experienced a weird sense of joy over the hunt. Unlike his friend Neji, he had never been an intelligence officer, but no officer could reach his position without knowing how to hunt and track enemies on foreign grounds.

And this was a foreign place to him, he realized when he walked and searched the crowded inns in London. For a man who was used to give orders, and get them obeyed immediately, this experience of not wearing a uniform and being yelled at by workers of London was very new to him.

"Move your ass!" someone yelled at him when he stood outside and a stagecoach turned in through the long entrance. When he stepped aside to let it pass he was pushed by a man in iron-clad boots and a riding crop.

"Look where you are going, you idiot!"

He turned around to meet the man face to face, and the man backed away at Sasuke's icily stare with his hands lifted in defense. "I'm sorry, sir," he mumbled and looked away. "I didn't mean to disturb you."

Sasuke examined him from head to toe in silence until the man started to stutter. Sasuke said in a cold voice,- "You can help me by telling from which inn the stagecoach to Lincoln goes."

"From here, sir. Please let me show you to the office."

Sasuke let the man go ahead and lead him the way. It was a wild shot, but after a thoroughly investigation and a lot of questions to a crying Mrs. Uzumaki and Tenten, led him to suspect that he was going to visit his older sister Kurama.

"And then we have his childhood friend which he always hung out with in school, Haku I think his name was. Got married last year to Lord Momochi Zabusa," she said, knowing more than Naruto had thought. "And then there's…" She interrupted herself and looked guilty.

"Who, auntie?" Tenten had asked. "We need to think about all he possibly could have turned to."

"Oh dear. You can't let Minato know that I'm telling you this." Mrs. Uzumaki took a deep breath. "My sister in law is living not far from Lincoln."

"I've never heard of her, aunt Kushina."

"I know." Kushina looked around, pleading. "You have to promise not to tell anything to Minato. His youngest sister…" she blushed, but continued anyway. "She met an already married man without a title, and lived with him as his wife. They fell in love, but we discovered that he already had a wife, who had left him for another man. But she moved in with him anyway, even if they can't legally get married. Her family broke off all contact with her, even after his wife passed away ten years later and they got legally married, only for him to pass away six months later."

"Oh, That poor woman!" Tenten almost cried out. "It's so heartbreaking to hear!"

"I think so as well," Kushina explained. "I have written letters to her every year, but Minato never wanted to forgive her, since he told me that all that drama almost killed his father in shock. But it is stupid of me to even name her, I don't think Naruto even knows about her."

"Are you sure?" Sasuke asked. "Where do you keep her address?"

Kushina picked up her notebook from her purse and opened up to the right page. Sasuke studied the address, and then carefully lifted up a short strand of golden hair from the fold in the book. He silently held up the strand of hair, which shone brightly against Kushina's vibrant red hair.

"I think that he knows." Only Tenten noticed that when he wrote down the address in his notebook, he let the blonde strand stay between the pages in his book.

With the assumption that Kurama was the most likely choice for Naruto to choose, it was confirmed at the office. The bookkeeper assured him that this was the right station that would go to Lincoln, and he also had remembered Naruto.

"Do you mean the young governess, sir? At least I guess that he was that. A remarkably beautiful young man, that much is sure. But anxious, in some way. That's why I remember him so well, and by his good looks, if I may say so. So modestly dressed and with such big, alluring blue eyes…"

"Where was he going to?" Sasuke asked, and realized that he wouldn't get far if he was going to be rude to every man who insulted and annoyed him.

"Lincoln, sir. But he first asked for a ticket to East Anglia, and then he looked confused and asked for a ticket to Lincoln, sir."

"And how many stops are there from London to Lincoln?" Sasuke let his hand scoop up some coins from his pocket and sort them neatly. The bookkeeper shone up at the sound of coins.

"Would you like me to make a list, sir? Of all the stops or just the most important ones?"

"All of them." Sasuke answered and let a gold coin fall down in front of the bookkeeper. Thirty minutes later Sasukes wagon rolled off, with his two dark-grey horses securely strapped and the stableman left behind, into the streets north in the direction of the stagecoach's route.  
Naruto had a full day ahead, and he couldn't risk assuming that he was going to East Anglia or Lincoln. He had to control every stop at the list.

There had been French colonels, some of them still alive to remember it, who also had a similar time-range ahead of Uchiha Sasuke and thought that they got away, but had been tracked, found, outmaneuvered and defeated.

A young inexperienced man like Naruto didn't stand a chance against him.

.0...0...0...0...0...0...0...0..0

Naruto reluctantly left the amenities at The white deer the next morning. He wanted to go to Haku earlier, but the inn and the friendly hostess had felt very warm and secure. Even if he didn't want to admit it, he felt a little insecure about it all. _`What a manly man I am_´, Naruto thought bitterly.

But he was picked up by the stagecoach without any trouble, and the hostess had waved him off and told him to go to the Inn called `Crown & Anchor´, where another stagecoach was going to Lincoln.  
He examined his new fellow passengers from under the brim of his hat. He relaxed when he saw that it saw a sturdy farmer's wife with a basket, a skinny young man who was asleep, and a man who wore a priest's white collar.  
He politely lifted his hat when he got in and seated himself.

"I hope I don't disturb you," He said after a few minutes. "But I heard that the hostess told you to go to the inn Crown & Anchor, and I wondered if I could be of any help. My name is Orochimaru, pastor Orochimaru, and I am also going to change stagecoach towards Lincoln, which I do often. I could point out the office for you and so on when we arrive, if you want."

Naruto politely thanked him, but was worried that he would want to keep talking to him. Because even if he was a priest, he was a stranger and Naruto was raised not talk to random people on public transportations. And he somehow got an unpleasant feeling in his gut. But the priest stayed silent after that, so he leaned back, happy that he had a guide if needed.

They stopped once on their short trip to Peterborough, where the change of stagecoach would be. It became chaotic when the carriage stopped, and the steady farmer's wife got stuck with the basket in the door, and Pastor Orochimaru rushed up to help her, slipped on the step and fell heavily against Naruto, so that the skinny young man woke up from his slumber and flew up to assist them all. Naruto started to feel a little bit claustrophobic with everyone over him, trying to help one another.

But they soon arrived at the Inn Crown & Anchor, and pastor Orochimaru helped everyone to unload their luggage.  
"Now I am only going to go and get my jig," the priest said in a chatty matter. "And then go home to my little sister. You only have to walk through that door to find the hostess and a lovely room. She will tell you when the next stagecoach will arrive. I hope you have enough money for the rest of the trip, young man?"

"Yes I do, thank you," Naruto answered confidently, and felt after his wallet. He got panic. "My wallet! It's gone!"

"Oh dear lord, That young man must have been a pickpocket. Mrs. Ayame!"

The hostess hurried out and wiped her hands dry with her apron. She smiled when she saw the priest.

"There you are, pastor! Your Jig is ready for you, sir, but…" She stopped talking when she saw their upset faces. "What's the matter?"

"Someone has just stolen my wallet," Naruto lamented. "This man thinks that there was a pickpocket with us in the stagecoach."

"How awful!" the hostess said, her voice filled with sympathy. "I guess you cannot stop these horrible brats. This is the third time this have happened here." She patted Naruto on the arm in a comforting manner. "We better go and tell the police and magistrate right away."

"But that won't help me get my money back," Naruto stammered out. "What am I going to do? I need to get to Lincoln."

They were all silent for a while before the pastor Orochimaru spoke: "Normally, I would not suggest it, but since I have an open cart, and it's still the middle of the day, you would maybe consider going with me to my home where my sister is waiting for me? You can spend the night safely in our home, and tomorrow we can sit down and come up with something. Maybe you can write to some of your friends in Lincoln? I have a neighbor who is possibly going to travel that direction one or two days from now."

"That's a good idea. How nice of you, pastor Orochimaru."

Naruto bit his lower lip. It sounded like the best option for now, and the priest seemed to be well known and well reputed around here, and often leave his jig at the inn. Spending some time with a priest and his sister sounded like a respectable thing. Another advantage was also that he disappeared from the main road, in case he where followed. He made up his mind.

"Thank you, sir." He said in a solid voice. "If your sister don't mind it I would be very thankful."

The jig was in good condition and was dragged by a beautiful black pony, and Naruto felt his mood rise when they traveled at a brisk pace along the road. The loss of his money seriously sucked, but he wasn't too many kilometers away from Haku, who not only had a very generous allowance, but a very rich husband who encouraged him to spend it. Naruto knew that as soon as he would get the letter and know what situation he was in, Haku would immediately send a carriage and some money for him.

Pastor Orochimaru didn't ask any personal questions, so Naruto felt obliged to introduce himself.

"I should tell a little about myself, sir, because I don't think your sister wants a complete stranger in her home. My name is N… Natsuo, and I am a governess on my way to my employer in Lincoln."  
Naruto felt a bit shameful for lying to a priest, but he would hardly help him if he knew the truth.

"Yes, we have to make sure you get there as soon as possible, Mr. Natsuo." The priest said and turned onto another road. Naruto started to feel confused. The roads had to be really tortuous around in these neighborhood, he decided, because it felt like they were going in circles.

"I'm sure that your employer is looking forward for you to teach her children, and that your family and friends will be worried if they don't hear that you arrived safely."

Naruto bit his lip. It would seem odd if he only sent one letter to Haku and nobody else during his enforced stay at the priest and his sister.

"I don't have a family," he said and tried to sound brave but lonesome. "And I don't really have any close friends. A governess life is quite lonesome, I'm afraid."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Pastor Orochimaru said gravely. "You have to comfort yourself with the thoughts of the good work you perform and the teachings you give to young minds."

"Yes indeed." Naruto felt that further discussions could be dangerous. He had to remember everything he could about his own governesses before he could start talking about the life and meaning of being one. "Are we close to your church yet, sir?"

"I don't have one. I have always been more of a learning person than a pastor, even if I have many friends in London who I preach to if they want me to."

"Well that's good too." Narutos mind was racing. This was even much more difficult than making small talk with a duchess. "That must be very… satisfying."

"Indeed it is, my dear Natsuo. Even I earn quite well on my efforts in the capital city. We are here now."

The jig pulled in front of a humble, yellow brick house that lay in an overgrown and gloomy garden with lawn and some willows. It wasn't particularly in any disrepair, more like it lacked love and been neglected, and Naruto felt chills despite the warm afternoon. _`A priest with a small income couldn't afford to put large amounts on outdoor appearances´_ Naruto told himself. It was ungrateful to be critical when he'd been offered help when he was in need.

There was no stableman in sight and pastor Orochimaru just dropped the reins when he helped Naruto to unload the luggage. The pony just stood there patiently, not even thinking about wandering off. At the same time the front door opened.

"My dear Anko!" Pastor Orochimaru grabbed Naruto's arm with one hand and his luggage with the other, and urged him to the door. "I have a young man who got into trouble because of a pickpocket thief. He is on his way to his new employer and doesn't have any friends or family to turn to for help."

The woman who stood at the door with a long, white hand lifted to keep the door from closing, surprised Naruto. She was tall, dressed with dark elegance in a dark dress with a beautiful low neckline, and despite her being at least thirty-five, she was strikingly beautiful. According to Naruto's experience, women at that age was already married, and dressed and acted like it. This woman had a somewhat dangerous and independent aura.

She examined Naruto from head to toe with a vague smile on her plump lips before she raised her eyebrow at her brother, who hastily completed their introduction.

"Dear Anko, this is Mr. Natsuo, no last name. Mr. Natsuo, this is my sister miss Anko."

Naruto bowed. "I have to apologize for intruding. Pastor Orochimaru has been very kind to me and the situation I'm in, and has offered me to stay for a couple of days until my letter reach my new employer, who can send a carriage to pick me up."

"Of course. It is nice to have you here, Mr. Natsuo. Would you like me to show you to your room?" Her voice was cool and not rude, but Naruto felt a strange tone of amusement under it. It made him feel uneasy, which was ridiculous. He was tired, that's all. Tired, upset because of the theft and still not completely recovered from his earlier stomach ache and nausea because of the meatloaf.

"Thank you." He followed Anko through a dark hall, up the stairs and in to a room. Miss Anko stepped aside when he entered the room, and Naruto took a few steps further in before he turned around, and saw both brother and sister stand in the opening and stare at him.

"I…" his voice died away when he noticed their icy, calculating faces and realized that the room was basically without any furniture, except for a bed and a washstand.

The narrow window had thick iron-bars.


	5. Chapter 5

**IMPORTANT AN:** Yeeea, Another chapter out! Thank you all for your reviews so far, I love to hear what you think of it! I know that I have made Sasuke ooc, but I asked myself, _`how would he act and be if there hadn't been a massacre? If they lived in historical times and he wasn't a ninja? Not got an older brother?´ _And so on… I've also made Sasuke older, a bit more mature to give him some experience and authority.And if we all think about it, Sasuke talks quite a bit in both the manga and the Anime, he isn't just sitting in a corner looking cool as ice, kicking asses all the time, and the only answer he can give is a "Hn".  
...but I admit that even if all that, we still want and gotta see something more 'Sasuke-ish' soon. This is still my fic, so I will write it my way, so that you don't think that he goes from my version to mainstream version in a second, which could be confusing… Anyway, I will try my best ^^ Hope you all will like it anyway!

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"I have to give you credit, Orochimaru," Anko said and checked Naruto from head to toe, as if she was evaluating the quality of a horse. "This one will do just fine. A really young and beautiful boy."

"And he also seems to be a _virtuous_ young boy." Orochimaru answered and ripped of the priest collar from around his neck with a satisfied sigh. "You are a virgin, aren't you, dear Natsuo?"

His reddening cheeks and shocked expression was the only answer they needed, and a satisfied sneer took form over his face, who Naruto thought had looked quite harmless and humdrum up until now.  
His sudden change in tone and voice was both scary and confusing.

"There must have been a mistake," he said coldly and took a step in their direction. "I will leave right away."

"Oh no, you won't," Anko answered. "You will not leave this room until we are ready to send you to London." She turned around to her brother. "When will Kabuto come and pick up the next order?"

"He let someone drive a carriage along the route now and should be here the day after tomorrow."

"London? What are you guys talking about? You have to release me right now." Naruto tried to keep his voice steady and confident, but despite his efforts it shook. The siblings seemed to grow in front of his eyes until he only saw their evaluating stares, amused sneers and the way their eyes looked all over his body.

"You go when we send you. You belong to us now. In one or two days you will be with your new master, on your way to your new… home." Anko said coldly.

"Belong? What are you talking about? I already have an employer…"

"You will soon get a new employer. Yakushi Kabuto, the biggest man in the capital city, specialized in the fields of organized prostitution, will pay a huge price for a beautiful virgin like you."

"Prostitute… What?! No!" Naruto backed away until he abruptly stopped when the backside of his legs hit the bed. "You are wrong about me. I'm a respectable man, not some…"

"No, not yet." Orochimaru seemed amused by Naruto's lack of comprehension. "Not yet, but you will soon be. You will learn everything you need to know in one of Kabuto's houses, and you will bring him a fortune. Someone will pay ridiculously large amounts of money to have a virgin with such beauty, and even more will pay good just to watch."

"No!" Naruto was going to give them an awful answer, but slapped his hand over his mouth. He felt the bile rise in his throat, he was going to pass out and then wake up and discover that this was a nightmare. He felt a hysterical laugh bubble up, but kept it down.  
Orochimaru's words were incomprehensible to him, except that it contained an awful, horrifying threat. _`How could they even imagine such…?´_

He struggled to find some courage and think straight. "I said that I was a governess and that I was alone in this world. That is not true. I've escaped from home and have a really wealthy and influential family. They will look for me, and they will pay to get me back."

He paused and surveyed the two greedy faces. They looked like they were calculating the situation, and for a moment he dared to hope, but then Anko spoke:

"No. Obviously he only says that to buy himself some time. And even if it would be true, if we let him go, he has already seen our faces. But after a few months in Kabuto's care his family, if it exists, will not want to have him back. It would be too shameful for them."

She took the bag from her brother's hands and opened it to check out the contents of it. She removed anything that could be used for escape or as a weapon, before she tossed it into the room.

"Here. Make sure to rest and not make too much noise. There is nobody who can hear or help you out here, and I guarantee that you don't want to disturb Orochimaru. He would of course not leave any marks on you, but you will still be sorry."

The door closed and Naruto heard them lock it from outside, where after they also bolted the door. Shaking all over his body, he slumped down on the bed and tried to think, tried to plan, tried to put up a new strategy, but all there was in his head was the sinister words. _`Someone will pay to… to… __**No!´**_ He buried his face in his hands, but the siblings words pushed through, like an assault by itself. _`Pay to be able to watch… Pay good money to be able to watch when…When…´_

It was impossible. Although some men went to brothels, knock-shops or whorehouses or whatever they were called, that much he knew. But they must surely go there because they want men and women who knew what they were doing, knowing how to give them pleasure, right? How could they even like to watch as a terrified man was raped, or even forced to carry out the act itself? The perverse and evil in the situation calmed him a little bit when he tried to reason.  
There were people who enjoyed being cruel towards animals, and there were also evil people who treated their servants badly. Maybe this was an extreme example of one of those cases. But just that there were so many men, so many that a brothel owner could get rich, was appalling. Had he met such men? Could they move around freely in society and hide their sinister nature behind a respectable mask?

The thought made him to return to his own fate, and despite his bravery he gave in for a heart aching cry, laid down crouched in fetal position on top of the filthy blanket, where he suspected that other boys and girls had cried before him.

Other boys and girls.

Naruto sat up from the bed and wiped his wet eyes with his hands. Other boys and girls. If he didn't do anything it wouldn't only be him who was doomed to this hell, but all the other men and women who would come here after he was gone. He wouldn't be worthy of Sasuke under no circumstances if he gave up now.

Naruto wiped his nose and eyes and examined the room. His legs felt shaky now, and he let another sob escape from his throat, but he forced himself to look for something. There was nothing that could be used as a weapon. The bed was bolted down to the floor, the sheets were worn by age and would easily break. The washstand didn't have a jug and underneath the bed there was a potty that was made out of such thin porcelain, that he didn't even think it would leave a bruise if he hit someone in the head with it.

The door did not move at all when he pressed against it, and there was no doorknob on his side. The window was blocked with iron bars that were screwed on securely.

Naruto stared out onto the front yard where he saw a glimpse of the road behind the fence. Could he draw attention if someone passed through? No, He wouldn't know when they were coming because the hedge was too high.

He couldn't get away, in other words. Then the escape had to happen when the carriage arrived, when he was in it. Orochimaru and Anko had said something that implied that there were other young men and women in it, men and women who were in the same situation. But that would be too easy. A carriage full of hysterical men and women would be hard to have any control over. If he had been like the siblings downstairs, which were very hard to imagine and gave him shivers at the thought, he would drug the prisoners. That meant that he couldn't eat or drink anything, throw away everything they gave him and then pretend to react the way they expected him to do at an unknown drug.

_`Tough…´_ Naruto went away from the window. The practical problem of escaping luckily shut out the true horror in his situation, but it still lingered in the back of his mind and showed up now and then to give him paralyzing strands of fear before he regained control.

_`Sasuke… What would Sasuke do if he was captured?´_ The thought calmed him, gave him courage and something to fight for. If he would never see him again, if these evil people defeated him, he would at least know that he had done everything he could and that he wasn't a helpless victim.  
He would give them a show to remember.

He sound of wheels could be heard from the driveway and he ran to the window. _`Kabuto can't already be here to pick me up, could he?´ _But all he could see was a wagon with the reins wrapped around the beam, and two beautiful dark grey horses who stood and breathed out mist with lowered heads.

Probably a friend of Orochimaru and Anko. But what if it wasn't? What if it were an innocent neighbor or a family passing by? Naruto looked wildly around the room. The vague sound of the doorbell could be heard from outside. How could he open the window? The door under him must have been opened, because he could hear manly voices speak from outside. Desperate, Naruto grabbed the sheet from the bed, wrapped it around his fist and punched a hole through the window.

"Help! Please help me!" he screamed out and punched the window again so shards of glass rained down over the front door. "For Christ's sake, help me!" Naruto didn't even know what he was screaming anymore.

There could be heard noises from a short fight outside, and then silence.

Naruto grabbed a long shard of glass from the floor and ran over to the door, where he stood next to it and desperately tried to quiet down his ragged breath. He could hear footsteps from the stairs and then how the bolts were removed.  
Was it the visitor? Or was it Orochimaru? If it was Orochimaru he would stab him, he didn't doubt it for a second and wouldn't be sorry for it either. The back was the best place to strike. Or the face.

The door opened, and he took a step forward, ready to strike, when a voice he thought he imagined said:

"Naruto?"

"Sasuke?" he must be hallucinating, be delusional, because it all was like a dream. Then he showed up in Naruto's field of vision from behind the door and he stumbled forward into his arms, while the deadly shard of glass fell unnoticed to the floor. He was saved, miraculously saved by the man he loved.

"Sasuke… How did you find me? These people…" From over Sasuke's shoulder he could see Anko with a large knife in her hand and her arm raised, ready to strike. "Watch out!"

Of course Naruto had been in fights before and seen some. When he was what, like, eight years old?  
He had never seen grown-ups fight, but he could appreciate the efficiency and the brute force in the one blow Sasuke effortlessly gave out when he swiftly turned around. It hit Anko straight in the jaw and she fell to the floor with a thud.

"Hn, I've never hit a woman before." He leaned over the fallen woman.

"I hope that you broke her neck," Naruto said heatedly, surprising Sasuke.  
**Sasuke** had expected some tears, and maybe even him feeling faint, not such ferociousness. _`He must have been terrified,´ _Sasuke remembered how Naruto had trembled when he had hugged him tightly just a few seconds before. "Where are Orochimaru?"

"I knocked him. He is unconscious down the hall, don't worry about it. They haven't…?"

"I'm fine, thanks." Naruto answered and observed Anko suspiciously. He didn't seem to understand what he really asked about, but he didn't push it. There was time for that later. "Sasuke, we can't risk that these guys escape before we can get the police over here. You have no idea of how evil these persons are."

Sasuke had a pretty well painted picture in his head of what he had to deal with, as soon as he heard the hostess story from Crown & Anchor about the nice priest and his sister, and the series of unfortunate young people who all have been robbed in the stagecoach. The last kilometers he had urged on his tired horses, while he struggled between his imagination and years of disciplined composure under extreme pressure.  
Now he didn't only accept Naruto's words, but without questioning him as well.

"Is there a room where we can keep them and lock them up?"

Naruto put his head around the door next to them. "This one, the window isn't broken. Oh…" He paused and turned himself towards Sasuke with his eyes wide with horror. "…Look."

There were handcuffs screwed into the wall over the head of the beds and along the wall, with some other creepy tools on the nightstand. Naruto was so pale that Sasuke was afraid that he would faint any second. He put his arm around Naruto, who looked up with his eyes filled with red burning anger, to Sasuke's surprise.

"Put them in here," he said vehemently. "Chain them by the bed."

Before he could even answer Naruto ran down the stairs with the knife in his hands.

"Naruto, stop!" during a terrible moment he thought that Naruto would stab the unconscious man who was lying on the dirty stone floor, but he only leaned over him and looked for signs of whether he was going to regain consciousness soon or not.

Sasuke bent down and tossed Orochimaru over his shoulder before he rose in a smooth motion without any signs that the man was heavy at all. Naruto walked behind him, and when he turned around after he had tossed Orochimaru on the bed, he was already in the process of dragging the sister in to the room.

He lifted the unconscious woman and put her in bed next to her brother, and then he cuffed both their hands to the wall. "There are the keys." Naruto said. He had searched the room thoroughly for objects that could help the siblings escape, other than the horrible tools that were on the nightstand, and grabbed the keys from the empty washstand. He bended over Anko and took out all the hairpins from her hair before he grabbed the bag she had on her belt. "They could try to pick the locks," He said in a matter of fact. "What does the slimy creep have?"

Sasuke raised his eyebrow at Naruto's relentlessly practical side, but if it helped Naruto he wouldn't distract him. He removed Orochimaru's tie pin and patted him on his pockets, which were filled with a roll of money and two wallets.

"That's my wallet!" Naruto reached for the more well-kept and stylish one and grabbed it, squeezing it hard in his hands. "He stole it from me in the stagecoach."

"I know." Sasuke answered with a low and calm voice, suspecting that it wouldn't take much to push Naruto over the edge. "Let's go downstairs. They are securely cuffed now."

"Lock and latch the door close first."

"Of course." He let Naruto turn the key while he latched on the metal bar over the door. Sasuke let him make sure that the nightmare was securely locked away.

"Come on, let's go downstairs now and see if they have something we can drink in the kitchen." Naruto let Sasuke help him down the stairs and his arm trembled under his. Then he suddenly stiffened.

"Mr. Orochimaru! Lady Anko!" a thin voice called from the backside of the house and came closer to the sound of shuffling steps.

Sasuke put Naruto behind himself and called out in a hard voice: "Who is it?"

"It's just me, mrs. Shigura, Mr. Orochimaru. Oh! Who are you, sir?"

It was a lady in her mid-fifties or older, skinny in a worn out dress that was covered with a big, baggy apron and her gray hair was done in a knot at the back of her head. She stood and twisted her hands in front of her, apparently completely unable to comprehend the unexpected sight of two strangers in the hall. Sasuke noticed how red and sore her hands was.

"Do you work for Orochimaru and Anko?"

"Yes, sir. I come here three times a week to clean."

"Do they have any other servants?"

"No, sir. Just me." She seemed unable to bring herself to ask what they were doing there, and just settled at staring at them.

"Well, Shigura…" Sasuke gave her a short and concise summary of what sinister crooks Orochimaru and Anko really were, and that they will be brought to justice by the police.

"Oh, how horrible, sir!" Her eyes went wide. Sasuke didn't believe for a second that she didn't knew what was going on in this house. He narrowed his eyes.

"I am Colonel Uchiha Sasuke and this young man is my… friend. Can you show us to the living room?" It was meant as a question, but the tone in his voice sounded more like a command.

"Of course, sir. Right here," She opened a door to the cleanest and most well-kept room they've seen so far in this house. Sasuke steered Naruto towards the couch. He moved when Sasuke steered him, but didn't make any effort of taking a seat.

"Can you go and give my friend here something to drink, Shigura?" The woman nodded, but he could see the anxiety in her eyes and that she started to twist her hands again. "Don't worry. No one will probably believe that you had anything to do with this. How much do they pay you?"

"About six pence once a week, sir."

"And when did you get paid last time?"

She frowned in deep thought, apparently having a hard time to remember.

"Three weeks ago, sir."

Sasuke picked up a small bundle of banknotes from one of his pockets. "Here." She gasped at the large amount of money. "This pays for the last three weeks, plus more for your inconvenience today. Can you now go get that beverage?!" She nodded and hurried off to the kitchen.

"That was nice of you." Naruto said in a weak voice when Sasuke gently pushed him down on the couch.

Sasuke sat down next to him and tried to not touch or bump into him. He was perplexed over the fact that the blonde didn't seem surprised to see him here. Maybe he was in too much shock to question a somewhat familiar face.

"Naruto, did he touch you?" Sasuke asked and this time he noticed that Naruto understood the question.

"Oh, no. There is no worry for that." His voice was calm and clear, even if it was weak. "You see, he wanted a virgin. He even explained why in great detail, and that it was there my value was."

Sasuke had suspected something like that, as soon as he realized that a woman was involved in the business. Orochimaru wasn't some crazy loner, who kidnapped young men and women for his own pleasure without gaining anything else from it. No, he was a tradesman involved in human trafficking, who was selling a very special product.  
Sasuke had however hoped that Naruto wouldn't understand it and that nothing had been said to crush his naivety. He wanted to do something when he saw the tremors run through Naruto's whole body, but didn't know what. His skin was so pale compared to his usual bronze skin, almost transparent, and his eyes seemed unfocused.

_`How would he react if someone tried to touch him now?´ _Sasuke felt anger rise dangerously in his gut.

Naruto didn't react when Shigura came in with a cup of tea. Sasuke nodded and told the woman to continue with the tasks she usually did and leave them alone, and not go upstairs, no matter what she heard.

He pushed the cup into Naruto's hands, but he couldn't keep his hands steady, so he put the cup back down on the table again for it to cool. A few seconds later Naruto turned his head and looked at him, even if he couldn't judge if Naruto really understood who he talked to.

"He said that they would get a lot of money from the man who… the man, who…" He paused and bit his lip. "And also a lot of money from those who would watch. They said that a man named Yakushi Kabuto would come and get me with a carriage. I believe that there could be other victims in that carriage." Naruto paused and met Sasuke's eyes.

"How can it be possible?" Naruto wondered and his face reflected his desperate need for understanding. "I know that men go to brothels and have mistresses and lovers, I get it. And I'm not so stupid that I think men and women would choose to live a life like that if they had better alternatives. But… Don't men want someone who knows what they're doing? Wouldn't that give them more pleasure?" Naruto blushed, but continued. "But there must still be a lot of those men that they spoke about, how else can the brothel holders and people like the siblings earn money on them? How could it be worth the risk?"

Sasuke wished that he didn't have to answer his questions. He would much rather be surrounded by the enemy at war than be in this moment right now. How bad it all could turn out if he explained it in the wrong way…

"Most men really are decent and what you would call normal," He said in a matter of fact tone, but still trying to sound gentle. "And then, just like you say, there are some who enjoys being cruel, enjoys inflicting pain on others. It mostly is about feeling power, that weak, cowardly men likes to dominate someone defenseless. Some people are worse and more extreme than others, but they are not many of them, Naruto, so don't think that half of the people you meet and know in the society is hiding their fangs behind a humanly smile. Those who like that stuff will most likely pay for it, and they will pay good to get exactly what they want."

He looked at the blonde and noticed that his eyes started to focus, and knew that he had listened and understood. While Sasuke watched him, he could see Naruto's rigid calm start to falter and how tears welled up in those arctic blue eyes.

Without stopping himself to think about whether he would fight back, he leaned forward and pulled Naruto in a hug. He could feel how Naruto tightened the hug.

"You are smarter than to think that everyone is hiding an evil side, otherwise you really are an idiot. Most men respect their partner and people in general. Men like your father, like Neji, like you, and like Kyuubi will grow up to be."

Sasuke could feel how his shirt started to get wet. He cried silent tears. Then he nodded and Sasuke could hear his muddled voice: "Like you."

"Yes, like me. I would never hurt you, Naruto."

For some reason, it only seemed to make it worse.  
He sobbed violently in Sasuke's arms. Not knowing what else to say, or if the best thing was to just wait for him to let it all out, he held him close in his arms and was shaken by his crying. Never in his whole thirty years of life had he felt such a strong feeling of protection towards another human being, and never had he felt such powerful and destructive wrath.  
He knew that he couldn't open the door upstairs without someone who could hold him back, because he wouldn't hesitate to kill them.

Finally the sobs died away, and he gently let his arms fall to his sides. Naruto sat up more straight, but otherwise he made no attempt to move away from Sasuke's side.

"Come on, drink some tea." Naruto nodded and reached for the cup and took a few sips. After a while he putted the cup down and turned towards Sasuke, his eyes and lashes still wet from tears.

"He didn't touch me, but it still felt like…" He tried to find the right word for it. "Like I was violated."

"That's because he forced in the words in your mind, and made you watch the scenarios in your head?"

"Yes, exactly. You get my point. Now I just can't get them to disappear."

Sasuke thought before he spoke, and decided to trust his instincts. "Those were just words, only pictures and not reality, since you didn't allow it. You fought back, you weren't a helpless victim. None of that would have happened, for you would never have given up."

"But, you did save my life." Naruto pointed out.

"Only because you let me help you. If I hadn't been here today you would still have made up plans and endured." He gave Naruto a small smile. "Where do you find your courage, Naruto?"

"I thought about the other victims," He answered simply. "And what… what somebody who is very important to me would have expected from me."

For some reason Sasuke felt like he just got punched in the gut. Of course, the mysterious man who had made the blonde so upset at the duchess prom so everything had all escalated from there. He couldn't really blame the bloke for giving Naruto the strength to fight back, but why did he waste his emotions on that damned man? He was worth much more than that, this perfect debutante who revolted.

"Remember that you had the courage to fight back," Sasuke said when he managed to suppress his anger. "And talk about it with someone, don't keep it inside you."

"But who can I talk to about it?" the blonde asked.

"Me. Tenten. Neji."

"Neji? Absolutely not!" Naruto sounded almost normal again. "I'm afraid of Neji."

"Why on earth would you be afraid of him? He usually had to fend off a lot of his admirers, both male and female, at least before he got Tenten to handle it for him."

"He just look so… sardonic, if you know what I mean?" Naruto explained. "Tenten told me that her chambermaid in Malta thought he looked like a beautiful, fiery saint. She told me he became furious when he heard it."

Sasuke smirked and told himself to remember the description so he could mess with Neji in the future. It seemed that it was good talking about their friends, it seemed like Naruto had recovered a little bit.

"Will you be okay if I go and talk to Shigura? I want to know where the closest magistrate is." Naruto nodded, so he carefully let the space expand between them, gave him a clean handkerchief from his pocket and went to find the handmaid who scrubbed the kitchen floors.

"A magistrate, sir? That would be Mr. Gedding, sir. He is a very fine man, helped my son when…" Sasuke let her blabber on and felt relived. A down to earth magistrate with a firm grip and a good wife was exactly what he needed.

"How far away does Mr. Gedding lives?" He asked and interrupted Shigura in her blabbering about how good and kind Mr. Gedding is.

"Less than three kilometers, sir. In the middle of the village."

"Really? That close?" Sasuke said in relief. The faster he could hand over Naruto in respectable hands and the siblings in jail or worse, the happier he would get. There could be heard muddled calls from upstairs and Shigura twitched nervously.

"Don't worry, Shigura, they cannot get out. Do you want to accompany us in the carriage and show us the way to the village? We can drop you off where you live." She nodded anxiously. "Then go and make sure that everything is put out," Sasuke continued, "I will lock the doors before we leave this place."

They soon went outside. The two grey horses stood and waited patiently, too tired to show any tendencies of wandering off. Sasuke helped both Naruto and Shigura up on the carriage and seated himself between them, thankful over that Naruto was slender and Shigura bony and skinny.

The trip to the village didn't take very long, even if the horses were tired and dusk was rapidly falling. Shigura pointed at a cabin at the side of the road, and Sasuke helped her down from the carriage. A younger woman came to the door with a baby in her arms and another child who clung to her skirts. They observed them in surprise.

"There you go, Mrs. Shigura. Thank you for your assistance. The magistrate will probably want to talk to you about this, but under the meantime you will have to keep quiet about it.

When they had left and once again were on the road, Sasuke glanced worriedly at Naruto, who now started to wobble when he didn't have Shigura to lean on to. Luckily there wasn't very far to the magistrate's house, and it was easy to find thanks to Shiguras description. When he drove into the graveled courtyard at the front, a stableman came from around the side of the house.

"God evening, sir, May I take care of your horses?"

"yes please. Is the magistrate home?" Sasuke put a supporting hand around Naruto, who's eyelids were about to shut close.

"Yes, sir, both he and his wife is home. Will you stay the night? I can take the horses to our stable and feed them. Sasuke nodded, but were too focused on getting Naruto into the house to care about introducing himself to the stableman.

"Thanks. Would you hold the reins while I help this young man down?"

"Of course, sir."

Sasuke lifted Naruto from the seat. Sasuke weren't sure if Naruto had fainted or just fallen alseep, but his head fell against his shoulder when he carried him, and Naruto's face pressed against the front of Sasuke's coat. A violent wave of protective instinct swept over him, and scared him with its intensity.  
Some way or another, he would make it all right for him.

A maid with sensible countenance opened the door for him, glanced at Naruto in his arms, and concluded: You want to see Mr. Gedding, sir."

He followed after her along the hall and through the door and saw a large, grey-haired man who sat on the left side of the fireplace with a plump and gentle-looking lady, apparently in a lively conversation. She broke off when she saw them on the doorstep before she jumped up on her feet and ran forward to them.

"I'm sorry for troubling you at this hour," Sasuke began. "My name is Sasuke and…"

"You need help," She finished for him. "Let's bring the young man to a guest room, everything will be all right."

And Sasuke didn't know when he last had felt such relief. Maybe it would be all right.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: I don't own Naruto, and with that cleared I hope you all enjoy and like it so far, and if you find any errors etc, please tell me so I can fix them :)

.A.B.C.D.E.F.G.H.I.J.K.L.M.N.O.P.Q.R.S.T.V.W.X.Z.Å .Ä.Ö. ***

Naruto stretched out his body, yawned without opening his eyes and then crawled further back into bed again. He felt completely exhausted, he realized when he started to wake up, but it wasn't very surprising considering his horrible nightmares. How could he even imagine such awful people? The priest, his evil sister, and their unimaginable plans for him… Well, at least his fantasy had brought out Sasuke to rescue him. Sweet.

A sudden wave of cold nausea welled over him and formed a lump in his stomach as he became wide-awake and remembered the day before. Everything had been true, it hadn't been a nightmare.

"Sasuke!" Naruto scooted up against the pillows and looked around the room with large, frightened eyes, but it wasn't the shabby, dark room with barred windows. This was an airy, beautiful chamber with white curtains that softly billowed in front of an open window that had a vase filled with roses on the windowsill. The door opened and a smiling lady peeked in.

"Are you feeling well? I am Mrs. Gedding and this is my home. You are safe here." She stepped into the room and Naruto saw that she seemed like a sweet and reliable mother figure. He relaxed against the pillows as the panic left him. "My husband is a magistrate, and he and your man left to deal with those dreadful human beings," she said in a soothing voice.

"My man? Oh, you mean Sasuke? No, he isn't… I mean…" Naruto feared that he started to blush, and by the glitter in Mrs. Gedding's eyes, he knew he did. "He is a friend of the family," he added hastily, and realized in shock that he didn't have a clue to why Sasuke had showed up and saved him. How on earth could he have got there? It had felt so right, so perfect that the man he loved had saved him from that nightmare, that it hadn't even occurred to him to question the whole thing.

He remembered, as if the whole thing had happened a long time ago, his fulminant rage against his captors and Sasuke's calm way of handling Naruto's fear.

"Are they…? I mean the siblings, Orochimaru and Anko, are they…?" Naruto struggled to find the right words.

"They went to the prison in Peterborough last night," His hostess told him. "Two armed officers went with them in a locked carriage. They can't do any harm now, and they are going to stay there until a judge gets there. The colonel and my husband went back to the house to look for more evidence, and to see if they could arrange an ambush for Yakushi Kabuto, who you told the colonel about."

She smoothed the bedspread and looked at Naruto for a moment, her head tilted to one side like an inquisitive bird. "I can tell that it is the best for you to know everything that's going on. Some wouldn't want to know, others need to. You have a too vivid imagination to be protected by half-truths. The colonel told me how brave you were." She paused and gave him an encouraging smile. "Would you like to take a bath and eat some breakfast? Or is there something you would like to talk to me about?"

Naruto smiled. Without Sasuke's arms around him he couldn't feel more safe than with this straight-forward, kind lady. He absorbed the comment about Sasuke's opinion about him with warmth and pondered over her question.

"Not for the moment, thank you. I remember that I asked Sasuke why things like that could happen. That was the thing I just couldn't understand. Why. And how it could be that people like that existed. But he explained it all to me."

"Really?" Mrs. Gedding's eyebrows flew up in surprise. "He sure is a remarkable man if he could do that without skipping a heartbeat."

"I think that I can talk to Sasuke about anything," Naruto said, a little lost in thoughts, before he remembered what they had discussed and smiled weakly. "I think he would rather be at war than to answer my questions about that."

Mrs. Gedding answered the smile with one of her own. "So, a bath and then breakfast? I don't know what happened to your luggage, it's probably still at the siblings house. Even the most refined and brave men can forget such important stuff as clean clothes and a toothbrush in emergencies. But my youngest sons stuff is here. He is out of town for a while and doesn't mind lending you what you need."

Goth~Goth~Loli~Loli~.Goth~Goth~Loli~Loli~.Goth~Goth~Loli~Loli~Goth~Goth~Loli~Loli~ Goth~Goth~Loli~Loli~.Goth~Goth~Loli~Loli~

A long bath and some clean new clothes recovered Naruto's spirits and he seated himself at the breakfast-table, feeling starved.

"I'm sorry," he said when he realized that he had eaten all of the toasted bread, "But I have barely eaten anything since I left home, except for some meatloaf that made me sick."

"That's right, your home." Mrs. Gedding refilled her cup with tea. "The colonel has written to your parents and I have also left them a note. I left the letter open, if you wanted to add or write something yourself, so we can seal it and post it as soon as possible."

"Oh, thank you." Naruto bit his lower lip. He had meant to arrive at Haku and Zabusa two days ago, and send a reassuring letter to his family in London as soon as he arrived, without any information about his whereabouts, of course. "I should never have done this," Naruto said in remorse, and suddenly became aware of the anxiety he must have caused. "I was so miserable and confused. Can't even imagine what you must think about me."

"That you were very distressed, my dear Naruto, and that you didn't think straight," Mrs. Gedding easily pointed out. "We all do stupid and thoughtless stuff at least once in our lives. The colonel wrote in his letter about what happened, but of course not the worst parts. He wrote to your parents that he had to stay for another day or two until the evidence has been collected and you rested. I have promised your mother that I will take care of you and that we will find a good companion who you can travel home back to London with. All that remains for you to do is rest and recover your strength. But make sure to write your letter first."

"yes of course, Mrs. Gedding," Naruto answered, not wanting to flat out refuse straight to her face.

The letter was hard to write. At last he managed to write a few lines about that he was sorry and completely safe, and that Mrs. Gedding was very kind. But he couldn't force himself to apologize for running away before lord Sai came to propose. The ink got smudged out here and there from some tears, but he felt embarrassed about crying and didn't want to ask for more paper, and hoped that his mother would at least recognize the sincerity in those bloody tears.

His hostess ran all around the place with notes when she came with her own letter. When the letter had been sealed and sent off with one of their stablemen Naruto asked if he could help her out with anything.

"You can't just sit around doing nothing, can you? No, I didn't think you would. But you mustn't tire yourself out, I promised your parent that." Mrs. Gedding stopped and contemplated for a while. "I know, - Potpourri. Follow me."

Naruto was guided out to the garden with a basket in one hand, and a scissor in the other. The garden had a lot of roses, hibiscus, old fashioned flowers, weeping willows and meandering paths through the grass. The scent from the fresh air and all the flowers almost took his breath away for a second.

"I love it," Mrs. Gedding explained. "It has taken me twenty years to make it look like it has become like this by itself. Not many appreciate it's beauty."

"It looks like the sleeping beauty's garden," Naruto said. "Is there a hidden tower somwhere in the middle?"

"No, but that's an excellent idea! I must ask my husband to build a gazebo who looks like it for me… hmm, well, the dew from the roses should have vapored away from the sun by now, so you can pluck the flowers that that just bloomed. Those are perfect to dry."

Naruto spent an idyllic morning exploring the garden. The maid came out with a chair, a carpet and a larger basket, and Naruto went back and forth and cut off roses into the basket while he thought of the perfect spot for sleeping beauty's tower. He emptied his basket into the larger one after a while before he sat down in the chair and just relaxed for a moment.

Mrs. Gedding came out with lemonade and they talked about their families and the contrast between the city and the countryside for a while. Mrs. Gedding then had to walk back in and Naruto stayed, surrounded by the baskets that were filled to the brim with roses and allowed himself to think about the previous day.

He searched in his memory very gently and with caution, and grimaced when he realized how thoughtless, gullible and naïve he had been, and what a horrendous danger he had managed to escape from. Sasuke's laudatory words were like balm to his hurt self-esteem, but his conscience continued to actuate him when he thought of his parents' concern. `And how had Sasuke found me?´ Just as he thought escaped him, the man showed up with another chair and a folding table, accompanied by a maid with a fully loaded tray.

"Hello."

Nauto's heart skipped a beat and he noticed that he only could smile back at him.

"Mrs. Gedding thought that you would like to have a small picnic out here. Her husband, the magistrate, has returned to arrange some things with his assistance this afternoon. We found so much paperwork that we have to sort them out before we can even begin to understand it all and present a full case." He put down the chair and unfolded the table. "may I join you?"

"Yes, of course. I'm sorry, my mind were somewhere else."

He looked exactly like he remembered him from London. He had been afraid that he imagined the whole thing and that it hadn't been Sasuke who rescued him. Now when he sat next to him, and saw how the sunrays cast blue patterns in his black hair and his dark eyes, he knew that this was real, and a silly, hopeless wave of love swept through him.

"Sasu… I mean Colonel Uchiha…"

"Sasuke is fine, Naruto." He leaned forward and filled two glasses with lemonade. "How are you feeling today?"

"Better than I deserve," He answered, a little bit remorseful. "I can't thank you enough. I kind of prayed for a miracle, and then you showed up! But can't understand how and why it was you who found me."

"Your father has gout and your mother hurried in an upset state to Neji and Tenten, in hope of finding and get help from Neji. But she didn't stop and think about the condition Tenten are in. Luckily for them, I was there, and knew that Neji didn't want to leave his wife. So I offered to go and find you, and it wasn't easy." He lifted up a plate and handed it towards him. "Do you want anything?"

"Just a sandwich, thanks." Naruto cut the bread while he thought about Sasuke's words. "Is everything going well with Tenten? Is she okay?"

"She is just fine, but she isn't resting as much as she should and I got Neji to consider the possibility of them having twins, so you can imagine what stupid state they are in now, Neji trying to act cool and Lady Kushina running around wildly, not wanting to take it easy. I would think that he and your mother tries Tenten's patience and ability to stay calm to the extreme."

Naruto absorbed the information, and came to the conclusion that he could not possibly ask why Sasuke thought he knew that Tenten was expecting twins. "Well, that's very lucky for me that you were still in London. Thought I heard someone say that you had left to visit your father. How are the general, by the way?"

Sasuke shrugged his shoulders and Naruto saw the glimpse of anxiety in his eyes despite his tone being light. "Not completely. He works too hard, doesn't want to admit that he isn't completely fine yet from his stroke, making my mother sleepless off worry."

"But you still returned to London?" Naruto bit his lip and wondered if he'd gone too far with his intrusive curiosity, but it didn't seem like Sasuke thought so.

"We had a big fight and he disinherited me," Sasuke answered with a looped smile that didn't reach his eyes.

"W-what? That's terrible!" Naruto's sandwich fell down on the plate while he stared at him in shock. "But why on earth would he do that?"

"I told him that I wanted to sell my title of Colonel. And then of course there was that absurd fight about my marriage."

"Sasuke, you can't joke about stuff like that…" Naruto said in a somewhat shaky voice. "Of course you won't sell it. You are going to be a General someday…"

"Oh come on, not you as well!" Sasuke stood up and left the table as he walked away over the yard, before he stopped and came back. "I'm sorry, Naruto, I didn't mean to snap at you. My father is sick and will not exactly get younger again. He needs my help and my support at the property even if he doesn't want to admit it. And we are in peace now. I don't want to spend the rest of my career as a soldier in peaceful times, who always have to arrange security against stupid things like parades, or be forced to quell some uproar from industrial-workers and things like that. And I sure as hell didn't join the army to just sit by a desk, doing paperwork all day long."

Naruto put his hand on Sasuke's arm when he sat down again with a deep frown. "No, I'm sorry. It was stupid and thoughtless of me to say. Of course you have to do what's best for yourself and your family. But has your father really disinherited you?"

Sasuke gave out a small smile, this one reaching his eyes. "Hmpf, no he didn't really mean it. He is regretting it by now, but I seriously doubt he regrets the lecture about my duties and settle down with a respectable, fitting spouse."

Naruto took a few sips of his lemonade to hide his reaction. _`So, the old general didn't think that lady Sakura was a suitable wife. But, why not?´_Naruto thought that she was suitable, but maybe the general thought that she was too elusive to fit his son. A small glimpse of hope appeared in his chest. Would Sasuke obey his father? Would the Generals opinions make him reconsider?  
But if he loved Sakura he wouldn't leave her, No matter how much it pained Naruto, he wouldn't want Sasuke to do it. He wouldn't venerate and respect him in the same way if he turned out to be the kind of man who abandoned his true love because of pressure.

"You seem to be in serious thoughts," Sasuke pointed out after a moment. "Are you ok?"

"Significantly better," Naruto ensured him. "I was just worrying about the situation with you and your father. Now you are even further away from him because of me. What if he wants to contact you and reconcile?"

Sasuke laughed. "Lady Mikoto, my mother, who sent me back to London to live a carefully calculated dissolute life, assured me that it would take at least two weeks before he could admit that he regretted the whole thing, and another two to digest the rumors about my behavior as my well-meaning relatives would gossip about."

"W-what? I don't get it. But…?"

"The plan is that he will force me back to put me in hard work, and then get used to having his son around, and thus come to terms with the idea that I should help out on the property."

"Wow," Naruto said, impressed. "Do you think that's going to work?"

"My mother has him wrapped around her little finger for thirty-five years now, and so far she has never been wrong."

"No, but you hardly live a dissolute life, am I right? What kind of debauchery would it be about?"

"Gambling, cards, horses and…"

"And?"

Sasuke smirked and shook his head. "It seems like I constantly have improper conversations with you, Mr. Uzumaki. It would of course be naughty widows and light-footed men and women that my shocking mother had in mind for me."

"What, more than one lover or mistress at the same time?" Naruto asked shocked, and tried to imagine that his own mother would recommend that to him, but didn't succeed with it at all. "But wouldn't that just be very expensive and complicated?"

"Since I've never had two lovers at the same time, I wouldn't know that. I'm sure that it will be expensive, but complicated?"

"I can't imagine that they would be happy over sharing you," Naruto said and frowned. "You would probably have to keep them apart and remember what you said to each of them without screwing up… Have you had many lovers?"

Sasuke wanted to smack his hands over his face and groan, but settled with only arching one of his eyebrows. "What have I let myself been dragged into? Your mother would probably faint if she knew what you're asking. Yes Naruto, I've had lovers, only one at a time and we parted as friends, somewhat at least, before you ask. And no, I won't tell you about anyone of them."

"Hmpf, excuse me then," Naruto said and wanted to stretch out his tongue, but held the impulse back. "It just feels like I can ask you about things and stuff that no one else wants to explain to me. I mean, it's obvious that many men in society have lovers and mistresses, and even I can guess that some of the women aren't completely faithful towards their spouses either. But no one is saying anything about it, and in my eyes, it seems a little bit too late to find out about it when you're already married."

"I can't imagine that your spouse would even consider an affair with someone else," Sasuke assured him. "Especially not your mysterious suitor, who you so carelessly try to run away from. He seems to be completely dedicated to you." Sasuke smirked.

Naruto ignored the comment on Lord Sai, he was too busy fighting off his love-struck emotions from Sasuke's comment on that no one would want to cheat on him.  
For some strange reason, it didn't cause him pain him to know that Sasuke had had other men and women in his life, Naruto had expected that, because Sasuke was a man, not some hermit monk. But when they sat so close together, and Naruto felt Sasuke's presence next to him, he could feel how he nearly lost his composure.

"I don't think I will get married." Naruto said and tried to laugh off the whole thing and reached his hand after an apple. "So it doesn't matter. I meant that it was a bit late for men and women in general to find out stuff like that."

"Not get married? Why not?" Sasuke took the apple from Naruto's hand, lifted a knife and started to peel it so it looked like a red ribbon coiled down over his hand.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders and tried not to ogle Sasuke's hands that handled the knife with ease. He had very beautiful hands with long, slender fingers and short finger-nails. _`How would it feel like to be caressed by them?´_ Naruto shivered. "My mysterious suitor, as you call him, isn't anyone I like. The fact is that I dislike him, **A lot**. My feelings belong to someone else. But the person I love is in love with someone else."

"Is that what got you so upset at the Duchess prom?" He handed Naruto the now peeled apple. "Was it there you found it out?"

"Mmm." _`How the hell had they gotten in on this subject?!´_

"But just because one man have disappointed you doesn't mean that you should lose hope in all of them," Sasuke pointed out and eyed the frown between Naruto's eyebrows. "There are plenty of other men, or women, for example that man who is trying to ask you to marry him. Are you sure you know that man enough to say that you don't like him?"

"Oh, I'm completely sure! I don't like the way he looks at me, and he tried to blackmail me when I got in a bad situation." He noticed Sasuke's questioning looks and nodded. "Yes, that night in Vauxhall. And yes again, it is Lord Sai, the earl of Clifton, who wants to marry me. But I guess you already guessed it. And regarding marrying someone I do not love, how can you say that?" Naruto felt hurt and was surprised that he did not understand. "If the person you love would reject you, could you just shrug your shoulders, walk away and think that you will find someone else? Of course you wouldn't. Not if it's true love! I will never feel this way for anyone else, and I'm not going to marry someone I doesn't love." Naruto paused and looked into Sasuke's beautiful deep dark eyes with his own, bright orbs that seemed to spark with electricity. "Imagine that you are bound to someone that you don't love. I know some unfortunate men and women who have to accept unsavory suitors in marriage, or must be in a marriage of convenience in order to restore the family fortune, and I feel sincerely sorry for all of them. I would rather stay unmarried than marry someone else then… Him." Naruto was relieved he had time to stop himself from saying Sasuke's name, and continued. "And I can't understand, like or trust Lord Clifton." Naruto said in a sharp voice.

Sasuke seemed surprised by Naruto's outburst, and despite that he had raised his eyebrows when he heard who Naruto's anonymous admirer and suitor were, he didn't say anything about it.

"Are you going to obey your father when it comes to your marriage?" Naruto asked to make his point.

"No," Sasuke said in a grave tone and with a serious expression. "Of course I won't."

"There you have it. When it comes to love, the feelings surprisingly very strong."

Sasuke observed Naruto, deep in thoughts, over the edge of his glass.  
"Are you sure that this awful experience you had didn't make the thought of marriage abominable to you?"

"Oh no, not at all." Naruto looked straight in Sasuke's worried, dark onyx eyes and smiled sadly. "Not if I could marry the man I love."

Goth~Goth~Loli~Loli~

AN: Wow, another chapter done! I hope you all like my ideas and interpretations!  
So,.. What do you all think of it? The story, the plot, the characters? ^^ I'm so curious of what you guys think! x) Even constructive criticism is more than welcomed!  
Oh well, on to the next chapter… ;)


	7. Chapter 7

**AN:** Don't own Naruto. Here is another chapter! I hope y'all enjoy it, and as always, please let me know if there are any errors of any kind, so will I fix them asap ;) ENJOY.

The same evening they were told that Yakushi Kabuto had been captured near Lincoln, and that three women and one man had been rescued. Naruto anxiously wondered what kind of welcoming they would receive from their homes, and if they would get the same kind of support that he got from Mr & Mrs Gedding and Sasuke.

"And what about those who already are at those horrible places?" He asked, feeling upset when they all sat down to eat dinner. "What will happen to them?"

"I will bring everything we find, and point out some of the best evidence for the judges," Mr. Gedding assured. "They will control every address that is written down in Orochimaru's books and make sure that every young man and woman they find will be free to go. And if they've been kidnapped and… _forced_, the judges will take appropriate action and measures."

"Yes, but what will happen to the men and women?" Naruto insisted. "What will happen to them after that?" A troubled silence fell over the table. "When I return to London, I will do something about it."

"Oh, my dear," Mrs. Gedding said in a gentle voice. "There isn't much an unmarried young debutant from a good family can do."

Naruto knew that it probably was true. "God dammit, I wish I was a rich widow!" Naruto almost screamed out earnestly over the table. Sasuke snorted before he could stop himself, and then flat out laughed as he met Naruto's defiant look. "I mean it! I really do, you bastard! Not that I want to see anyone dead of course, but it seems that the only people who can have any sort of freedom of action and be eccentric is rich widows!"

"But you do know that you are a man, right? Isn't that widower, not widow? You aren't being an idiot now?" Sasuke smirked.

"You can be an idiot, you…! Of course I know that, but I said that I wished, not was!" Naruto felt how his cheeks started to redden at his own stupid outburst. This really wasn't proper behavior, but he couldn't help himself. Only Sasuke could rile him up and make him feel so much stronger about the stupidest things. He could see that Sasuke only shook his head, amusement written all over his face.

Mr. Gedding looked to be somewhat shocked over Naruto's outburst, and even if Mrs. Gedding gave him an amused and understanding look, Naruto looked down on his plate and knew that it was time to go to bed as soon as possible after he finished eating the dinner.

**~TimeSkip~**

When he woke up the next day he had a feeling that he'd been sick, that he'd had a fever and now just recovered. The siblings Orochimaru and Anko along with his frightening experience had now become less like a nightmare, even if his decision about doing something for the men and women that were forced into brothels were just as strong as before. Maybe Tenten would help him even, after she'd recovered from giving birth.

But with his feeling of recovery, he also felt anxious over how his parents would react, and the intrusive realization fell over him that he not only found himself in the same house as Sasuke, but he'd also had shockingly candid conversations with him. As he tried to brush down his wild blonde locks of hair with his fingers, Naruto thought that it had to be a miracle that Sasuke hadn't figured out who the man he loved was, the man whose presence he tried to run away from. Whom he had called both a bastard and idiot last night. _Oh..._

He was so deep in his own thoughts that he walked right into Sasuke's side outside the dining room. Naruto knew that he blushed violently, but couldn't come up with anything else to say than stutter out a timid good morning as he backed away from the larger man.

Sasuke smirked and opened the door and showed them both in to the table. The room was empty, they were alone. "Good morning, Naruto. Why so shy? Not going to call me a bastard today, hn?"

Naruto felt his blush deepen even more, if possible. He managed to squeak out his voice in a meager "No."

"Hn, have it your way then," Sasuke said, his smirk still present in his handsome face. "Would you like to have some coffee? Or maybe some tea?"

Naruto sat down with a thud onto the chair and shook out the napkin to avoid meeting his gaze. "Yes, tea please."

Sasuke laid down the cup in front of him and seated himself on the opposite side, facing Naruto. "Could you pass the bread?" Naruto handed the basket with freshly baked bread over the table. "Thanks. I think that you're back to your usual self today."

"Huh?" Naruto looked up in surprise and noticed that Sasuke observed him with both amusement and sympathy written in over his face. "Yes, I'm feeling better today, but how did you know that?" His heart was beating irregular inside his chest. Did he really understand him so well? He waited and bit his lip while Sasuke put some butter on his bread, frowning.

"How I knew? Well, we had some very frank conversations with each other yesterday, without you so much as even blinking. The fact was that you were unnaturally calm, which also convinced me that you were still in shock. But today you react like any well-raised young debutant would do at the realization that he is with the same man he discussed lovers, disreputable establishment, and the danger of being in a miserable marriage as recently as the previous day." He smirked when Naruto shook his head in confusion. "You're beautiful when you blush."

"W-what!?" Naruto spurted out, embarrassed. "You only say that to make me blush even more! You sly piece of… I mean… Colonel Uchiha…" Naruto blushed even more.

"That's the spirit," Sasuke said in an approving tone. "I wouldn't want to see you go completely back to… What was it your mother called you again? That's right,- The perfect debutant."

"I have never been that," Naruto said sadly. "Even if I really tried my hardest to be it. Colonel, was my mother very angry at me?"

Sasuke sighed. "I wish you could stop call me Colonel. Do you have a problem with saying my name? When it all comes around I'm practically a friend of the family, almost a childhood friend of yours."

"It doesn't feel appropriate."

Sasuke's facial expression was so unlike him, and almost comical, that Naruto burst out laughing. "Oh come on, Sasuke, don't give me that look! I know that after all that happened you must think that I am conservative and picky for not wanting to call you on first-name basis, but believe me, I'm just trying to behave like I should. Now tell me about my mother."

"Well, she wasn't angry at all when I saw her, but you got to keep in mind that she was very shocked and wanted make sure that someone retrieved you. I can't guarantee what mood she will be in when she finds out that you are safe. And of course she also wanted to hide the news for your excellent mystery suitor about your disappearance."

"Hmm," Naruto mumbled, feeling depressed. "I know exactly what you mean. When you're afraid for someone else's health you only feel worry and fear. And then, the same moment that they are safe you can get furious at how stupid they've been. I remember myself when Kyuubi climbed too high in the large oak in Green Park and couldn't get down again. When we finally got him down from there I could have slapped him, but just one minute earlier I was so upset and worried over thinking that he could fall and break his neck."

"Hn, yes it's very unlikely that you will get away without any lectures or punishments," Sasuke said slowly. "But I'm sure that your parent's soon will forgive you. And no one in society knows about this little adventure except for those shitty siblings, so you can proudly debut next year as well as if nothing had happened. But don't you think that it would be a good idea to not strive after being so perfect?" He asked up-front. "It must be tiresome for you to never be a little bit rebellious or make some uproar."

"Hmpf, young debutants aren't allowed to make any uproar, as you put it," Naruto answered and gestured at himself. "Just see what fuss it causes."

"I meant to do some mischief here and some fun there, not to run away and get bloody kidnapped," Sasuke countered. "Sakura is always up to something, and that doesn't hurt her reputation."

"Well, let's see, if I was just as gorgeous, had the same kind of connections and was equally rich as Lady Haruno, I would surely get away with a lot of things!" Naruto hissed, feeling a pang of jealousy over the fact that he mentioned lady Sakura. "We ordinary mortals must be more cautious."

"But not to the point where you become the mental picture of everything that is perfect and virtuous! The fact that your good reputation doesn't create any jealousy among the other debutants and that you have so many friends clearly shows your good nature."

"I'm sure that those who don't think very fondly of me will be amused when they see me during my third season, still unmarried," Naruto said bitterly. "It never occurred to me that my behavior could make the other debutants to seem less correct or perfect. I just tried to…" He interrupted himself. It was so easy talking to Sasuke that he risked saying too much and reveal himself to him more times than he could count by now.

"Tried to do what?" Sasuke wondered.

"Tried to make sure that I would be a perfect spouse for… him." _`For you, only you.´_ Naruto's inner voice echoed.

"Hn, the mysterious man. Are you sure that he wants perfection?" Sasuke seemed more irritated than curious.

"He deserves it!" Naruto exclaimed fiercely. "He needs a spouse with perfect social skills. It's very important with his line of work and position."  
But now Sasuke had of course left his brilliant career. He no longer needed a spouse who understood the army, only a well raised, appropriate spouse, which he already had in lady Sakura, no matter what his father thought.

"Who the hell is he, this remarkable man who needs an impeccable spouse? A duke? A leading politician? A diplomat?"

"I will not tell you. It's hopeless anyway." Naruto took a sip of his cooling tea and refused to look at Sasuke.

"Then stop trying to be so perfect all the time. Relax and enjoy the next season for a change."

"For what? In order to not end up on the glass mountain for another few months? Then what?"

He noticed that they glared at each other across the table. It haunted the blonde that Sasuke seemed to care about what concerned him. It had been easier to endure his indifference, not this, when he gets angry and concerned for Naruto's sake.

Then his face lost its frown and was replaced by a small smile. "Come on, it's too good weather outside for us to sit inside and argue. Mr. Gedding won't need my help until afternoon. I assume that you know how to ride?"

"Yes, I love to ride. But what am I going to ride?"

"Didn't I tell you that a part of my plan was to breed horses?" Naruto shook his head. "I didn't? Well, that's what I'm going to do, and that means that I'm going to spend all of my time breathing down my father's neck. I think that it will be a successful business. I also talked to Mr. Gedding about it, and he says that Mr. Tanaka, their neighbor, has a fine mare that he wants to sell. He will bring it here now so that we can take a good look at it. I thought that you maybe wanted to take her out for a test-run so I can see how it moves."

"Oh, I would love to!" Naruto bounced up before he remembered his limited closet. "But I don't have any riding-clothes."

"Mrs. Gedding told me that her son's old equestrian apparels, the riding clothes, are still in his old closet." Sasuke paused and listened. "Can you hear? I think that it is the neighbor."

They watched through the window and saw a man on a black horse with a beautiful silver-gray mare in tow come through the gates.  
Mrs. Gedding showed herself at the doorframe: "Good morning, dear. Have you eaten enough breakfast? I suspect that Mr. Uchiha have told you all about the neighbor's silver-gray horse? So if you would like to ride it, I already told the maid to put my son's old riding clothes on your bed."

"Thank you!" Naruto smiled gratefully and ran upstairs with his heart pounding hard in his chest, to change his clothes. The conversation with Sasuke over breakfast had made him upset and almost afraid. But he didn't have any opportunity to think in privacy, because the maid was waiting to make sure that the clothes fitted him. The maid discovered that some fabric and a button had come loose, and smacked her tongue in disapproval. Naruto just nodded absent-minded when she asked if it was all right for him to wait while she fetched the sewing-kit to make a quick-fix.

He sat down on the bed while the maid hastily sewed the fabric back together, and removed the jacket so she could stitch back the button, without even really being aware of what happened. Sasuke and his feelings for him seemed to fill up his mind. He noticed that he liked him so much that he almost fell into shock. Almost the same moment he met him, he'd known that he'd loved him, but now he knew that he'd fallen in love with the idea and thoughts of the man, not the man itself. If he'd never seen him again after the night at the duchess prom, maybe he would gradually stopped loving the image of him. But fate and his own stupidity had brought them together so close, that he didn't have a chance to escape the influence his personality had over him.

And not just his personality. Naruto had never felt so aware of a man before. Even the exiting experience of being held in Sasuke's arms while they danced the waltz had faded in comparison with being close to him every day. He was beginning to know even the smallest details: His impatient way of pushing strands of his dark bangs away from his face, the blue hues in his eyes that became like electric storms when he got angry, how his eyebrow arched when he seemed surprised over something, how sexy he was when he got that smile that showed a glimpse of his perfect white teeth, the scent of him and his after shave…

He had fallen in love with the ideal of a hero, but now he had fallen in love with the real man. And he'd fallen hard. And not just in love, he wanted him, he realized, so chocked that he blushed. He wanted to kiss him, to wake up together with him every morning, to be in his arms…

"I'm sorry, Mr. Naruto, that I have kept you waiting here in this warm room," the maid excused. "Your face is all red, Mr. Uzumaki."

Naruto threw a hunted look in the mirror and pushed his hat further down when he saw his blushed cheeks. "It will soon disappear, thank you." He grabbed the gloves that the maid handed him and ran downstairs to Sasuke, who waited down the hall and talked to Mrs. Gedding.

"Sorry you had to wait, but the button and some fabric had come loose and needed a few stitches…" He explained. _`God, why do I sound like such a dork with these stupid excuses?´_

The silver-grey mare were saddled and stood peacefully in the paddock next to the stables with a stableman who held the bridle. A short man talked to the stableman who were in charge, but stopped when he saw Mrs. Gedding and her guests. They introduced each other and Sasuke fluidly jumped over the fence to take a better look at the horse.

Naruto watched as Sasuke put his hands along the horse's legs, checked its teeth, lifted a hoof, which the animal allowed without blinking, and then told the stable boy to take off the saddle. He stroked his hands over its back repeatedly so its neck twitched in response, but overall didn't react. Sasuke swung himself up on the horse's back and took the reins. Sasuke was a too large man for the horse, but she walked obediently, stopped when he commanded and kept still even when Sasuke let the reins fall and clapped his hands loudly behind its ears. One of its ears pulled back, but that's was it.

He jumped down and leaded the horse back to Naruto, who was leaning against the fence. "She seams steady, if you want to try to ride her. The question is if she is to calm. I'm not looking for a horse that could do as an armchair, I want to have horses with some fire in them."

Naruto smiled when the mare pushed its soft mule in his hands in search for some affection and sweets. "Oh no, miss, you have to earn your apples! What's her name, Mr. Tanaka?"

"Moonstone, sir," Mr. Tanaka answered and looked a bit embarrassed. "My youngest daughter called her that when she was born. But I guess it sounds a little bit silly."

"Nah, I think it suits her. Hey you! Stop it, there's nothing in my pockets!" He collected the reins and looked around. "Is it ok for me to take a ride with her?"

"Of course, sir." Mr. Tanaka answered and held the reins for him as Naruto got himself up in the saddle. Naruto focused on getting back the reins without looking at Sasuke. He really wanted to impress him with his ride, and that made him really nervous.

Moonstone immediately answered when he urged her on and Naruto circled around in the paddock in a walk, then trot before he finally shortened the reins and urged the mare in a short gallop. She happily obeyed and Naruto soon forgot that he had an audience.  
It was so boring riding in the paddock. At the other end of the paddock, the fence leaned against a larger meadow, and when Naruto galloped past it he couldn't see a ditch or if it was any other obstruction. So when they reached the farther end he turned the horse and urged her on over the field towards the fence.

The mare pointed her ears and elongated her steps for the upcoming jump. A call could be heard from behind them, which Naruto completely ignored, and then the horse flexed its muscles and jumped smoothly over the fence while Naruto balanced himself with ease over its back. They landed safely and Naruto loosened his grip over the reins.

The excitement over the gallop and the jump was wonderful. He turned around at the outskirts of the meadow and kept the same pace and jumped back over the fence. When he returned to the waiting audience he had blushed cheeks and a blinding wide smile.

"She is a lovely horse, Mr. Tanaka!" Naruto pushed away a few strands of his hair from his eyes and saw that even if Mrs. Gedding seemed delighted over the show he had put up, Sasuke looked like a thundercloud and his dark eyes were stormy. He marched in to the paddock and up by Naruto's side and he leaned down and whispered: "Oh, sorry! Did I sound too enthusiastic? Maybe I shouldn't have before you two have agreed on a price, but she really is a wonderful horse to ride, and very obedient."

"That's not it," Sasuke almost growled. "Are you completely uninterested in your own safety? There could have been a ditch on the other side, a large stone or anything, and to jump over one and a half meter before you even tried on a smaller height… are you really that much of an idiot?!"

"Now now, of course I looked around beforehand," Naruto told him in an effort to calm him down. It felt heavenly to realize that he was so worried over him. "And I think that I am a good enough rider to manage a jump like that. Don't you agree with me?" He grinned mischievously.

Sasuke looked up at him and his anger seemed to slowly fade. "You're okay I guess. I just imagined explaining to your mother how you managed to break your neck under my supervision."

Mr. Tanaka came out and held Moonstone by her head while Naruto let Sasuke help him down. His hands were firm around Naruto's waist, but at the same moment that his feet touched the ground Sasuke let go, and Naruto cursed himself that he was so bold that he wanted Sasuke to hold him for a while longer, to just embrace him and not let go.

Sasuke and Mr. Tanaka walked away with the horse. Naruto walked to Mrs. Gedding, who didn't seem to spare any compliments over his riding. "Wow, you put up quite a show there, my dear! I wasn't the least worried for you, but you should have heard the Colonels language when you leaped!" she chuckled. "But now when I think about it, it's probably for the best that you didn't. I don't think that he noticed that he cursed out loud until I laughed." She studied Naruto, who carefully smoothed out the fabric on his coat and trousers. "Would you like to keep the outfit? It suits you perfectly, and my son will probably never wear it again. I'm sure you have a significantly nicer one at home, but the Colonel might let you ride more while you are here."

"Thank you very much, that's very kind of you. I would be very grateful if your son doesn't mind it. Oh, look, it seems like they have reached an agreement."

Both men shook hands and Mr. Tanaka ducked under the fence to jump up on his horse. "Good day, Mrs. Gedding! Say hello to your husband from me, will you?"

"Good day, Mr. Tanaka! Yes, I will! You and your wife have to come and have dinner with us sometime soon."

Sasuke came up to them. "A good morning's work done. Would you like to take her out for a ride, Naruto? I can take the horse that Mr. Gedding borrowed me, so we can take a ride together and explore the surroundings."

"Well, only if you doesn't need me for anything else, ma'am?" Naruto tried to not sound all too enthusiastic, but he couldn't hold back his wide grin when Mrs. Gedding shook her head.

"No, but thank you for your offer. Off you go and get some fresh air, it will do you good."

Naruto had never seen Sasuke ride a horse, and could not resist observing him through half-lidded eyes as he rode out from the yard on the horse that Mr. Gedding had borrowed him. He rode very lightly, with a relaxed grip over the reins, but Naruto noticed that the horse knew exactly who was in charge and that Sasuke's muscular and agile body was very capable of taking action if there would be any trouble.  
The calm roads were framed by large fields and they both got many opportunities to gallop and jump over ditches. Sasuke didn't shed any comments over Naruto's style of riding, but he was aware about being observed by him. A pheasant flew up from right under Moonstone's mule so she twitched and shrugged away a bit over the road, but Sasuke didn't make any effort of catching his reins, but just held in his horse and waited for Naruto so he could catch up after he calmed Moonstone down.

"What will you do when you get home?" Sasuke asked when they both slowed down their horses and were side by side in a comfortable pace.

"I doubt that I will have a say in the matter," Naruto answered sadly. "I will probably be sent to Bath like my mother says. I would really prefer if we all could go to Brighton as we planned on, but if my father's gout is persistent I don't know what's going to happen. It would in any way seem like a too big reward for me after my behavior."

"Can you go and visit Tenten?"

"Yes, under normal circumstances. But she will soon give birth, and Neji will be angry at me and probably wants to chop my head off if I worry Tenten and give her more to do and think about, and I suspect that I would have to watch my tongue every other word in Neji's presence. And besides, it will certainly spread a lot of gossips about why I'm not in Brighton with my family," he added a bit bitter.

"Fake an illness?" Sasuke said and Naruto couldn't tell if he was serious or not.

"Where will you go after this?" Naruto thought it seemed like a reasonable question that probably wouldn't make him suspect anything on why he wondered.

"If there isn't a message or letter from my father about me being forgiven and to hurry home, I guess I will keep on living this so called dissolute life in Brighton, I suspect." He held in the horse and picket up his watch from his pocket. "I thought so. We better get going, or else we will be late for lunch. I promised Mr. Gedding to help out back at those snake-like siblings house later this afternoon."

"Wow, there must be quite a lot of paperwork if he wants and need more help," Naruto pointed out.

"Yeah, we thought that we had found all the paper, but I thought that it would be for the best if I looked through the room again, and we found a hidden safe box behind the panels where there were another stack of papers and letters."

Naruto rode in silence for a while and held back the question that he balanced on the tip of his tongue. It soon won over him. "Will lady Sakura also be in Brighton? I can imagine that it will limit your opportunities to create a smaller scandal. Your father will hardly believe that you live a dissolute life if he hears that you spend time and escort her around in Brighton."

"Hn, that's true. And I have no desire to quarrel with my father again about Sakura and my intentions when it comes to her. No, her father doesn't like Brighton. He will probably take his whole family to his mother on the countryside."

"And what will lady Sakura say when she hears about your activities in Brighton?" Naruto remarked sourly.

"There's nothing to worry about. My dear Sakura will surely try to mercilessly tease me." He smirked. "That young woman understands me very well. Come on, let's gallop, or else we will be late."

_`My Dear Sakura!?´ _

Naruto clicked his heels in Moonstones sides and eased on the reins. Sasuke were so relaxed when it came to Lady Sakura, so sure of her reactions. His voice seemed different when he spoke about her, it seemed warm, dedicated, caressing. What wouldn't Naruto do to make him talk about him like that, in that voice!  
Naruto closed his eyes for a moment and fought off the tears that burned under his eyelids, and then followed right behind the man on the larger horse, his heart aching under the warm rays of the sun.

**TBC…**

Feel free to send in reviews concerning critiques and suggestions. I realized that this chapter is going in a little different direction than I had first intended, but it won't be as transparent as most in this position, nor as predictable… I hope ^^

Should anyone wish to make fan-art of any kind, I would be more than happy to see it!


	8. Chapter 8

**AN:** Another chapter out, this one a bit longer than the others, and I will try to keep it that way, please tell me what you think! Do you guys want longer chapters or just about the length as the other chapters?

_**~Goth~Goth~Loli~Loli~Goth~Goth~Loli~Loli~Goth~Goth~Loli~Loli~Goth~Goth~Loli~Loli~**_

After the lunch Naruto spend the rest of the day collecting the rose-petals he collected, separating them and put them out on a linen cloth so they could dry. It was a comfortable occupation in the cool, well-scented room, but he got too much time to let his mind wander and think. Would his parents let him go to Brighton? If they did and Sasuke was there, was it for the best to separate from him completely? And how would it be with Lord Sai? Would he still be persistent on his courting?

His mind went around, around, and was spinning too fast for his liking. He had escaped because he wanted time to think. But now when he got it, it didn't seem like he got anywhere at all in his planning over his life.

Dinnertime went without Sasuke or Mr. Gedding showing up, only a message came from Mr. Gedding that they had decided to continue to work to get the job done that day. They had sent for food from the nearest tavern, he had ensured his wife, and he thought that they would continue directly towards the jail to make sure that all the evidence would get there in proper order, so they wouldn't be home until nightfall.

**~TimeSkip~**

By ten o'clock Sasuke still hadn't returned and Naruto noticed that he was restless and would surely not be able to sleep at all if he went to bed. Both he and Mrs. Gedding had retreated to the saloon with the large windows that showed the garden, and the scent of fresh flowers still drifted in over the frames from the window and mixed with the faint sound of nightingales singing from outside.

"May I stay here for a while longer, ma'am?" Naruto asked when Mrs. Gedding at last stod up and announced that she was going to bed. "I'm not tired and I'm sure that Colonel Uchiha will lock the door if you want to send the servants to bed as well."

"Very well, my dear. Everything will be locked except from the main door and this window. Would you be an angel and ask Mr. Uchiha to make sure that all of the lights are put out? The decanters are over there on the chiffonier, and I'm sure that the colonel would want to have a drink when he returns." She hesitated and pulled her scarf tighter around her shoulders. "Or should we close the window right away? It's starting to get a little chilly outside."

"May I leave it open for a moment longer? I'm quite warm and it's such a beautiful evening. Or…" Naruto threw a look at the fireplace and the basket filled with wood and spruce cones. "May I lit the fireplace? It will keep the cold away."

"Well of course. The matches are on the shelf over there. Make sure that the live coal and the fire is controlled before you go to bed. God night, my dear."

Naruto found some old paper in the basket with wood after some failed attempt to just start the fire with cones, but now he managed to lit a small fire. He put on some spruce cones and enjoyed the crackling and the blue light it gave off. The fire wasn't much for the warmth, more as a companion, and he sat down on the floor and leaned his head against one of the armchair, close enough from the fire to throw in another cone or twig as they burned up.

The old grandfather watch down the hall turned eleven and then a quarter past, before he heard the sound of hoofs from the driveway. He stood up and opened the main door at the same time as he left the door to the saloon open, and he put the tray with the decanters and a glass on the little table next to the armchair. The candlelight on the shelf was nearly put out, so he quenched it out and lighted another one. The light from the fire filled the room with a soft glow and a few moths flew in through the window from the gardens.

When he heard Sasuke's footsteps he called: "Sasuke! Could you lock the main door, please? Everyone has gone to bed."

The sound of bolts that pulled over the door could be heard and then Sasuke showed up through the opening of the door. "Naruto? Are you still awake?" even in the dim light he could see that Sasuke seemed tired.

"Come, let me take your coat," he encouraged. "The decanters are here. Have a seat and take a drink. You look too tired to go directly to bed."

Sasuke obediently removed his jacket and stretched his back with a sigh. Naruto took the garment and hung it carefully over the back of a chair, while he stroked out the wrinkles with the hand he still held over the fabric, still warm from Sasuke's body heat.  
When he turned around towards Sasuke, he stood with his sleeves from the shirt rolled up to his elbows and looked out through the window, where the moonlight just started to glow over him through the windowsill and brought out the blue hues in his eyes and hair in an ethereal way, that almost took Naruto's breath away.

"The nightingales really sound heart achingly beautiful, don't you think? They used to sing on the battlefields. Some of the soldiers believed in superstitions and said that they were the birds of death."

Naruto felt chills run down his spine at at the thought of it and at Sasuke's eyes that seemed far away. "Come here and sit down. Are you and the magistrate finished with everything now?"

Sasuke sank down in the armchair and lifted the decanter with cognac while he stretched out his long, muscular and booted legs in front of him. "Yes, thank god for that. I suspect that this is the end of the siblings Orochimaru and Anko." He poured some cognac into the glass and lifted it up to his lips. "By the way, what are you doing here awake at this time when everyone else has gone to sleep?"

Naruto walked and seated himself near the fire, leaned himself against the armchair and threw some more spruce cones at the fire. "I wasn't tired and it smelled and sounded so beautifully from the garden, so I stayed up."

Sasuke didn't seem to want to talk, and Naruto was happy just sitting together with him in the lights from the fire. He gradually relaxed until his head rested against the chair and after a few minutes he became aware of a light touch on his head. Sasuke seemed to caress his head gently, like he would stroke a cat that had comfortably laid down in his lap, and he realized that that he probably was unaware of that he did it.  
Unlike the cat, who would have stretched and pushed itself closer his stroking hands, Naruto held himself as still as he could and hoped that he would continue.

"The smell of burning spruce cones," he said, almost to himself, in a dark and subdued voice. "It reminds me of the camp fires when we were in Spain."

"Tell me about it," he said softly, as if he spoke to someone that was falling asleep.

"The memory is a curious thing. The bad times, the nights when it rained or snowed, or when the enemy were close and no one could relax or fall asleep, the nights when we wre hungry and cold or wet, when the wolves howled and the wounded moaned – all of those nights seem to mix together into one eternal nightmare. But the good moments, the nights when it was dry and warm and nothing bad happened, those I remember clearly. It was good at the foot of the mountains since we had clean water. And there were plenty of fuel and woods to take cover among.  
The men put up tents in rows, every with a fire outside of it. It was like a small village where people went back and forth and the women gossiped outside the tents where they sat in the light from the bonfires and cooked dinner or repaired some clothes to the smell of burning wood and spruce cones. Some sang and others were just tired, and some children cried."

It could be heard from his voice that Sasuke was fond of the memories. His fingers in Narutos hair had made his normally fixed straight hair messed up in different layers and colors of gold to silver, that almost fell down to his shoulders like a halo in the flacking light from the fire.

"Were those happy times?" He asked.

"Yes. They had a simplicity, a sincerity. It was like a large family. Of course there were crooks and problem-children, but it still was a knitted family with a strong sense of loyality and a common goal."

"And what did you do those nights?" his fingers went through his disheveled hair now, lifted it and let it fall again. It was hypnotically sensual and soothing. Naruto felt how his eyelids became heavy even though he didn't want to sleep.

"If I wasn't on duty I walked around in the camp and spoke to the wounded or others who wanted to speak. Sometimes I sat with some of the men, sometimes I listened to the music they would play or sing. Other times I sat outside my own tent, spoke to my servants and wrote notes in my journal or wrote letters, just being grateful of the silence and calmness. Just like what I am doing now. You are a very calm company, Naruto."

Naruto smiled, his eyes focused on the dancing blue flames. It had been one of his dreams that when they had married, he would be a calming presence for him after a long and hard day. It would never happen again, but right now he could enjoy it.

One of the spruce cones exploded with a sharp crack and landed on the carpet in a fountain of sparks. Naruto bended himself forward but Sasuke were quicker, went down on one knee and leaned forward to lift up the burning fragment with a quick motion with his long fingers. He put out the remaining sparks and turned himself around so that he was face to face with Naruto, who was lying on his knees next to the armchair.

His hair hung messily around his face and looked like a glowing halo when he retrieved his balance, and looked up at Sasuke with eyes shining like blue crystals, lips parted. Sasuke stretched out his arm and captured a golden lock between his fingers. "Is it me who did this?"

"Yes, of course. You sat and stroked my hair like if I was a cat, and it got all messed up." Naruto tried to sound lightly amused, but his chest felt tight and his heart banged under his ribs. He was so close that he could see the glow from the fire be reflected in Sasuke's dark obsidian eyes and hair, even his lashes. He smelled vaguely of his aftershave and cognac, and the undefinable, masculine scent that, to put it simply, just was Sasuke.

"You have beautiful hair." He pointed out before he leaned forward and kissed him on the lips.

His lips were warm and sensual, and for a moment Naruto stiffened, not because of fright or horror, but because from the chock. He then stretched out his hand against Sasuke's shoulder to steady himself, and tested to lean in to the kiss. Sasuke put his hand behind Naruto's neck and pulled him closer at the same time as the pressure from his lips increased and spread Naruto's lips. He tasted like cognac and his body was warm against his.

No one had ever kissed him like this, at all, and he was almost painfully aware of his ignorance and lack of experience. What should he do? What was he going to do?

The answer made him gasp when Sasuke's tongue entered his mouth and touched his own tip of the tongue with surprising intimacy. Naruto was soon pressed hard against Sasuke's muscular chest with his own lithe one, and he could feel one of the raven-haired man's hands run through his blonde hair, while the other caressed his throat and sensually glided down the shoulder to the sensitive skin under his shirt.

His lips were now determined and demanded things that Naruto's body seemed to understand partially, but didn't really know how to respond to. He felt like he had stopped breathing, and it was like he was freezing and burning up at the same time. The whole world focused around his lips against Sasuke's, and he was unaware that his fingers grabbed tightly at Sasuke's shirt.

Then, just as suddenly as he had kissed him, he stopped and let him go. Naruto opened his hands and landed on his heels with a thud, while his lungs were filled with deep and trembling breaths.

Sasuke rose hastily and violently, and stood next to the armchair against him with a grim face. "Damn it! I'm sorry, Naruto, I don't know what got into me. No, what the hell am I saying? I know very fucking well what flew into me, and I shouldn't have let it happen."

"I…" His voice seemed to have disappeared together with the strength in his legs. His skin felt unnaturally sensitive and warm, and a bothersome feeling was burning inside him.

"I'm sorry I scared you, Naruto. Of all the stupid things I can imagine, I know that the last thing you want right now is to be touched by another man. I just forgot where I was, who I was with. You look so… captivatingly different in the glow from the fire with your hair all messed up like that."

Even now in the dimness Naruto could see the tension in Sasuke's face, how he grabbed the back of the armchair until his knuckles turned white. It was amazing, unbelievable, impossible, but it seemed like the kiss had affected him as deeply as it had affected Naruto. But Sasuke didn't love him. It was like a glimpse of physical desire, it was both bothersome and enlightening.

"Sasuke…" he swallowed and tried to regain control over his voice. "You didn't scare me, I promise."

"You are too naïve to…"

"No," He interrupted sharply. "I may be inexperienced, but I understand what happened. You kissed me and that's it. We were alone, it was late, none of us focused on what was appropriate. It happened and I'm sure that I shouldn't say this, but it was very… interesting."

Sasuke emitted a sound that Naruto thought sounded like a choked chuckle.

"You see," he continued. "I have never been kissed before, not really, and I don't think that I will be that ever again, so it was interesting to know how it felt like."

That should explain why he didn't punch him in the face, yelled or done some of the other things a well-raised young debutant should do and react of being kissed suddenly. _Yeah…_

"Naruto, you can't just go around and let yourself be kissed just because it's interesting, you idiot! How many other experiences do you think you can try out just from curiosity? You're seriously playing with fire…"

"Don't be stupid!" Naruto stood up on shaky legs. It felt like his legs would give in any moment and he grabbed the armchair for support.

"Stupid? Naruto, I don't think for a moment that you have any idea of what danger you put yourself into when you trustfully let someone kiss you like that. And don't stand there and look at me with those big, blue eyes of yours. A man cannot resist everything."

"You're just trying to scare me for my own good," he noted. "I don't think for a moment that I was in any danger when I am with you, Sasuke. I trust you."

**~*Pov change, Sasuke.*~**

**Sasuke **observed Naruto's defiant, interesting face. His eyes were huge and glowed in the light from the fire, and the shadows floated over his lips that had become swollen from their previous kiss. His hair was messy and fell in different layers and shades of silky gold around his face and his chest rose and fell along with his quick breaths, and he insisted that he trusted him!

Sasuke took a deep breath. "Naruto, could you please go away to your room and sleep. **Now.**"

"Very well, okay." Those who didn't know him would have missed the small tremble in his voice, but Sasuke caught it. He didn't think that he'd scared him, but he knew that he hadn't kept his cool, that he just had followed his instincts in a way that shocked him over his lack of tact. He wasn't a player, he never had been. He surely wasn't a monk either, but he'd never played with virgins, and wasn't about to start now either.

"Go now," he said again and tried to sound somewhat easygoing. "And let me think over what your mother would say if she knew what just happened."

Naruto, who had been on his way towards the door, abruptly stopped in his tracks and stared at him with wide blue eyes. "You're not going to hell her, are you?" He suddenly realized that Naruto seemed more concerned about that, than over the kiss itself.

"I should," he said in a grave tone. "But I won't if you don't want me to."

"No! She would just be so angry."

"Yes, at me, which is fully understandable, but not at you." It seemed so unbelievable that Naruto would be so afraid to make his mother unhappy. Mrs. Uzumaki had always seemed like a nice and reasonable woman.

"Well, but you don't deserve to get mad at now when you have saved me and taken care of me. You are a friend of the family and I wouldn't want to put up any obstacles for that," he finished in a formal tone and seemed to get control over his emotions. "Good night."

Sasuke noticed that he was alone, and stood and stared into the fire for a while before he shrugged, pulled himself together and put out the fire. He closed the window and put one of the candle lights out. He lifted the other lighted candle with one of his hands and grabbed his coat with the other. He then walked slowly up to his chamber while he tried to get his emotions in place.

Colonel Uchiha Sasuke wasn't a man that doubted or gave a lot of time for soul-searching. He was confident, comfortable and used having control over himself, his feelings and everyone around. If he believed that he was wrong he didn't have a problem admitting it, and when he dealt with a problem he used to use his intellect and experience to solve it, and only ask for help when it seemed appropriate.

He shut the door behind himself and threw his coat over a chair, while he impatiently opened up some buttons at his neck. There were no confusions about what he had to do in this situation. He would just make sure that he'd never relaxed together with Naruto again, that he fixed some appropriate company and make sure that Naruto got home as soon as possible.

_`No´,_ he thought and stared at his own reflection in the mirror with a great frustration and irritation. The problem was that his usual cool and poker face was in chaos. Sasuke sat down to remove his boots. "Get yourself together and use your fucking brain," he muttered while he leaned back, his shirt opened and shoes removed.

He was aroused, damn, very aroused. It didn't really take a genius to come to that conclusion. Sasuke determinedly pushed back the need his body oozed out to him, and decided that when they got back to London, he would do his best to completely ignore them.

Naruto had come into his life in a completely unexpected way. When was the last time he had thought of his time in Spain, relieved the sounds, the scents and the feelings? A very long time, he realized. And when he'd done that before, he didn't have anyone to talk about it with. His father and Neji would understand, they had the same experiences, but it wasn't something you really discussed with other men. And yet it had been strangely comforting to do it. How had he managed to disarm him like that, make him so relaxed and unlike himself?

He had thought that he was an unhappy boy that had been hurt by another man he soon would forget, but he had been wrong. Naruto wasn't a love-struck child. He was a young man that had been through two seasons already, and really made an effort to become the perfect spouse to some insensitive douchebag, who had hurt him by rejecting his dedication and love. What did he just say a few minutes ago? _`I have never been kissed before, not really, and I don't think that I will be that ever again.´_

At least the jerk hadn't seduced him, and then rejected him. Sasuke frowned when he remembered how Naruto had said in a matter-of-fact voice that he didn't think that he would be kissed again. What was he thinking? To just return home and wither away as an unpaid companion for an elderly relative? Become an unmarried support for his mother? What a waste!

Sasuke tiredly stood up and began to strip off the rest of the clothes. It was when he pulled off his shirt from his shoulders that he realized that it was something more about tonight's events that bothered him like a pebble in his shoe. He tried to analyze it as he neatly folded his shirt.

Naruto had been so trusting when Sasuke had kissed him, so calm about it, even if his previous memories from the siblings should have made it an awful experience. Naruto trusted him, he said. Even Sakura trusted him. Enough to kiss him and flirt with him, flutter her eyelashes without a single thought in her head that he could push it too far, and use her and what she so charmingly offered him.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but you're losing your touch, man." Sasuke said to himself and threw a critical look over his admirable flat and muscular stomach. "That's why. You're no longer dangerous in front of the ladies and young gentlemen. Just a nice, trustworthy, safe friend to flirt with." With a dry smile over his lips he blew out the candle.

**~*Pov Change, Naruto.*~**

In another chamber at the other side of the hall even Naruto wrestled with his emotions. The memory of the kiss seemed to warm his whole body up and fill him with desire. He knew that he had added physical desire to Sasuke, that earlier only had been spiritual. But how could he not resist being kissed by him? How could he not have done anything else but respond? The pressure from Sasuke's lips against his own was still pulsating and fresh in his mind. Would he still feel it when he woke up the next morning, or would it be like a dream?

But no matter how wonderful the kiss had been, he also appreciated the fact that Sasuke had let him in and share his memories, his reminiscences of his daily life with the soldiers. Not the glory or the tragedies, just the scents, the music and their crude camaraderie. That was what he had always hoped for, that he as his spouse would be someone that he could talk to without any restrictions about things that were important to him, both the most great and the trivial.

Just like the kiss, Sasuke's voice that described the camp in the radiant glow from the fire opened up a door towards a world of intimacy and trust. A door that he had to shut close.  
It belonged to another person, and he had to learn how to manage without either of those things.

**~TimeSkip~**

If Mrs. Gedding noticed that her guests was unusually quiet the next morning, she didn't show it, she just kept on talking with her usual, good mood. If she had known about Sasuke's and Naruto's different yet at the same time alike concerns, maybe she would have been concerned herself, but they both succeeded in looking like they just had trouble sleeping the previous night.

Sasuke tried to concentrate on what his plans were after he had safely escorted Naruto home again to his parents, but he discovered that the thought of spending more time with this unpredictable young man gnawed on him. He mentally slapped himself. What kind of problems could a young and inexperienced man do to an experienced officer?  
He remembered that one time, when he had escorted a general's shrew of a Spanish mistress, fifty French prisoners, a whole cart with soldiers' money and six field cannons through enemy territory, and made it to their destination with every penny, gun and prisoner in safe custody. And he even had managed all that without insulting the lady, who very clearly showed that she offered to make the trip extra comfortable for him.

That part of the memory made him smirk, and Naruto, who in secrecy observed him over the edge of his cup of tea, silently gasped and held his breath. Did he remember the previous night? The sensual smirk died away from his face and Naruto was left with his thoughts.

What was he going to do? It didn't help that he didn't have a clue of what he wanted. He had to give up all hopes of Sasuke, he understood that much at least. His total refusal to bow to his father's disapproval when it came to Lady Sakura was sufficient indication of that.  
Hi mother wouldn't be all too mad now when she knew that Naruto was safe, right? She had to understand that only real suffering could have driven away her son to something so extreme. Naruto hated the thought of not getting along with his parents, and felt miserable over the fact that they could feel that he had let them down and behaved badly.

_`Grow some damn backbone, you coward.´_ he told himself silently. _`Mother will soon write and be forgiving, and then we all can go to Brighton. No one will know about my mishaps, and I will get opportunities to ponder about what I am going to do for the rest of my life when I finally get rid of that douche, Lord Sai.´_  
To have some sort of plan made him feel a little better, and when the maid came with the mornings mail he didn't look as gloomy.

"There's a letter for you, Naruto." Mrs. Gedding handed him the letter with a sympatric smile at the sudden flicker of fear in Naruto's eyes. "It's probably from your mother. There's one for you too Colonel, and two, no, three letters to Mr. Gedding. You both can read your letters, so will I do the same." He bowed his head, and nervously broke the seal on his letter.

He hastily rushed his eyes over the page, not being able to focus, but gradually some sentences and words popped up and felt like punch to his gut. _`Your poor father… Dr. Haruka… Kyuubi is very upset… You bad, stupid boy…´_

Naruto took a shaky breath, forced his hand to stop shaking and read the letter from the beginning. After the first sentences he realized in relief that it were his father's gout that had worsened, and therefore the doctor had been called for. At first he thought that his disappearance had given him some kind of stroke. Apparently Kyuubi was upset over that his brother were gone and that no one knew where he was and why. And when it came to his mother…

The words, his mother admitted, just didn't cover it. But that fact didn't stop her from writing long and well about her opinion that Naruto was a big disappointment to his parents, that he had acted in a way that were incomprehensibly bad and wayward, and that his poor mother didn't know what to do with him. The only comfort she had was that it was Colonel Uchiha that had stopped the most horrible imaginable consequences, and she hoped that Naruto was regretful and grateful.

Of course he couldn't be sent to his old relative in Bath after such behavior. Dear Tenten had asked that Naruto would come to her, and her husband, Earl Neji had ensured Mrs. Uzumaki that he would keep him under strict supervision and that he could be of use at them. The last words were underlined several times with bold and powerful strokes.

While he blinked away the upcoming tears Naruto looked up and met Sasukes eyes. He raised one of his eyebrows.

"Pissed off and seeing red, like a bull?" he asked.

"Colonel!" Mrs. Gedding called out, but didn't succeed to hide her amusement.

"Yes, my mother is quite upset and angry," Naruto agreed dignified and swallowed down the lump from his throat. He wasn't in the mood to get teased. His mother probably thought that Sasuke's actions had been exemplary through this whole process, which it also had. "She says that I have to go to Tenten, and that she has told our acquaintances, including Lord Sai, that she can't turn down my dear relative's request for company."

"Aha. She expects Neji to keep a close watch on you then?"

"Excactly," Naruto admitted with some anxiety. "She also says that she will bring father and Kyuubi to Bath to drink some well-water. My father will, I meant, not Kyuubi. She's pointing out that Kyuubi will get terribly bored over there and that it is my fault that they're not going to Brighton."

"How can it be your fault?" Sasuke wondered. "You can't be blamed for your father's gout. She writes in my letter that the reason for their trip there is the gout that is still bothering him."

"The doctors have told her that anxiety and efforts could naturally make the tendencies worse," Naruto explained and read through the letter again about the long description of his poor father's suffering, that only got worse by thinking of his disobedient and rebellious son. "She's quoting Shakespeare, something about an ungrateful child."

"King Lear," Mrs. Gedding said helpfully. "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is, to have a thankless child!" She observed Naruto's now white face. "I'm afraid that she is very upset. But don't worry, when you're finally home in safety everything will be forgiven. I'm sure of that."

"I don't know when that's going to be. If I'm going to Tenten and Neji over the summer it can go weeks before I will see her again."

"That is just as good," Saske said and sighed. "When you finally see each other again everything will be forgotten. And you will enjoy spending some time with Tenten."

"And Neji, and the new baby," Naruto said a bit bitterly. The last thing he wanted right now was to spend time with a happy, young family, especially with a baby on the way. He wanted children on his own together with Sasuke, not take care of his small relatives.

"You really have to let go of your dislike towards Neji," Sasuke said in a distant tone while he poured some more coffee into his cup. "You will have a good time when you get there."

For the first time since he got to know Sasuke, Naruto noticed that he stared at him with pure wrath bubbling in his chest. He had entrusted himself at him! He had thought that he knew what he felt. Shouldn't he then instinctively understand why he was so upset over being sent away? No, apparently not. The man he loved showed up to be human, he realized. He kissed young men he didn't love, he argued with his father, he didn't understand how Naruto felt after all that he had told him…

"Don't stare at me like that," Sasuke noted and smirked, which only made Naruto even more furious. "I have to escort you the whole way back if we can get you a respectable companion."

"I think I have the perfect solution," Mrs. Gedding announced and waved the letter she had received. "Mrs. Saito, the wife of our vicar, does no longer need her governess services now when her youngest daughter left the school bench. Miss Tayuya is going back to London to live with her sister while she searches for a new place as a governess. She would love to accompany Naruto and are ready to leave when it suits you two. Mrs. Saito writes like this…" Mrs. Gedding squinted down at the end where the vicar's wife almost ran out of paper. "It says that Miss Tayuya will arrive at eleven o'clock today to discuss the arrangement."

"What have you said to Mrs. Saito about me?" Naruto wondered anxiously.

"Only that you are stranded here because of family matters, without the companion you expected. I also referred to your father's bad health and the fact that you have a sister in Lincoln, and I'm pleased that I implied, without lying or telling anything, that your plans just fell apart.

**~TimeSkip~**

Mrs. Gedding maybe thought that she managed to fool her neighbor, but as soon as Naruto introduced himself to Miss Tayuya, he was convinced that the governess didn't let herself be fooled for one bit.

Miss Tayuya was a grumpy woman in her mid-thirty's, and if Naruto wanted to find an unmarried woman that were unhappy with her life and had become bitter from her experiences, he couldn't have hoped for a more depressing candidate. The governess seemed to find a certain pleasure in appearing as subdued as possible in her strict, grey woolen dress, her hair pulled back from her face and with no signs of further embellishments.

She held her hands together in her lap through the whole conversation, gave Sasuke long glances and answered Mrs. Gedding with a disrespectful voice. But the looks she gave Naruto was sharp and judging, and it could clearly be seen that she guessed that her temporary burden had been through some mishaps.  
She also confirmed that she could leave the following day and didn't mind going all the way to their location as long as she could arrive at her sister's place eventually.

"It must be a goal for me to help Mrs. Gedding in any way that I can," she announced.

_`I bet my sorry ass that you do!´_ Naruto thought rebelliously. _`Especially if it means a comfortable trip in a private carriage with a handsome, sexy gentleman that takes care of everything, and not a shaky journey with a stagecoach.´ _

agreement was established and Mrs.. Gedding took Miss Tayuya to the kitchen to get a recipe she had promised Mrs. Saito. Naruto, who's sight were clouded from rage, hastily rose from the chair and left the room. Sasuke caught up to him down in the garden.

"Are you crossed at something, Naruto?"

"Crossed? No, not at all. I'm trying not to cry, if you really want to know," he snapped and suddenly felt that it was totally incomprehensible that he liked Uchiha Sasuke at all, let alone loved him. "My mother has more or less repudiated me, my father is sick and furious at me, my little brother is upset, I am sent away in shame and that terrible woman with that weasel-face will be smug and act superior the whole freaking way!" he swallowed, feeling nauseous. "And I will probably soon hear all about being the unmarried relative, that is the person you should send for to take care of things and when some of my relatives don't can, or when the children are sick, or…"

"Naruto!" Sasuke laughed. That bloody man actually _laughed_. "Calm down, for Christ's sake! I agree that Miss Tayuya looks like a weasel and seems very grumpy. I agree on that your family is terribly furious at you right now, but all you need, you and your parent's, are a few weeks to forget the whole thing. No one has died from a broken heart so far, and the man that made you so incredibly disappointed won't be able to accomplish it either, or even destroy your life, which you seem so convinced that he has done.  
I bet that you even in six months have recovered enough to be interested in the new upcoming season. This time without the impossible task of living up to some man's expectations…" He interrupted himself when he looked down at Naruto's wild and mad upturned face. "Believe me, Naruto, he isn't worth this anguish, no matter who he is."

"I have already come down with that conclusion, thank you!" Naruto hissed, turned on his heel and marched away past some bushes. Sasuke didn't put any effort in pursuing him.

**~TimeSkip!~**

Naruto gloomily showed up at dinner and took the opportunity to apologize to Sasuke, while Mrs. Gedding was outside of the room to meet her husband that had returned.

"I'm sorry that I snapped at you," he said stiffly. "I should thank you for everything you have done for me, and not be so ungrateful."

He looked up with a smirk. "There's nothing to thank me for, I just did what anyone would do for a lady that were so upset like your mother." He observed Naruto's downcast, heavy eyelids and added: "And you also suffered through a terrible experience, so it isn't strange that you're feeling somewhat melancholy at the moment."

_`Well, that put me into place,´_ Naruto thought and pressed his lips together at sasuke's sour retort. _`I can't possibly think that he cares especially for me, when it's only for my mother! And I apparently also suffers from hypochondria!´_

His wounded feelings got yet another blow after the meal when he returned to the dining room to retrieve his coat that he had left on the chair, when he happened to hear Mrs. Gedding's conversation with Sasuke. It immediately became obvious about what they were talking about and Naruto listened with growing indignation from behind the door.

"Miss Tayuya is apparently very sensitive," Mrs. Gedding said. "Even if I didn't tell her or Mrs. Saito anything about Naruto's awkward situation, it seems like she have already guessed that we are escorting back a fugitive to his home. I guess that several years as a teacher on a school for young debutants-to-be in Bath, have given her some experience of young debutants that over-react on emotional situations. But she ensured me that she would keep an close eye on Naruto and don't leave his side, wherever it's going to be day and night."

"I'm sure that's not necessary," Sasuke answered. "Naruto seems to have resigned to the idea of returning home, or at least going to Tenten and Neji."

"I'm sure that he realized that he done wrong," Mrs. Gedding agreed. "But Miss Tayuya says that she has several edifying scripts that are appropriate for young men and women and that she will do her best to make Naruto interested in them during your trip."

Naruto didn't wait to hear sasuke's opinion on edifying script's, he just rushed out into the sunshine and fled to the stables.

"That loathsome woman!" Naruto violently growled out. Moonstone, who had poked her head out above the half door when he approached, shrugged away and snorted. "To be dragged back home, not only in disgrace but be put together with her, forced to share the same bedroom with her and be lectured every morning, day and night as if I had eloped from school with the art teacher!"

He punched his fist against something, and realized that it was the saddle that he'd used when he rode on Moonstone. The headstall hung next to it. He slowly stroked his fingers along the hard leather, and an idea popped up in his head. Did he dare? How far was it really to Haku's house?

The magistrate's workroom was empty and Naruto soon found his map-books since one were open on the desk. He looked up Haku's address and followed the roads back to the village. They were multiple roads that went fairly straight, but they had some sharp turns every now and then when they crossed ditches and canals that watered the fields. After ten minutes of rushed writing on a piece of paper he found on the desk, and after some carefully measured distances with a ruler, Naruto came to the conclusion that it couldn't be more than 45 kilometers to Haku, even if he traveled on the smaller roads. Once he arrived the villagers surely knew how to find the way home to Haku and Zabusa.

"Strategy and tactics," He mumbled to himself. Once he finally was with Haku his mother would probably let him stay, because no one could doubt that Sir Momochi Haku were highly respectable, even if he was kind of obsessed with his husband. But with Haku he would be able to plan, and his friend wouldn't try to dissuade him from his decisions. The fact was when he thought about it, Haku had tried to persuade his husband to bring Naruto on their upcoming trip to the continent. Surely, he probably wanted a friend with him during such an adventure. And maybe when Naruto got some experience, he would find others that wanted some company on their trips and recommend them on different things to see…

Naruto's rose-sparkly daydream paled somewhat at the thought of the new worries his new escape would cause, but he knew that he would arrive at Haku and Zabusa the same day and could immediately send a letter to Mrs. Gedding and tell them that everything was fine. It was a way too short timeline for his mother or Tenten to have time to get worried. The only danger was if Sasuke caught him.

"Tactics, tactics…" he mumbled and collected a pen, ink and some paper before he went back to his room to write down the most calming and grateful letter he could come up with to Mrs. Gedding. It took a while, and when he was done he needed to fix his route description at the same time as he picked out the most important things to pack down into a small bag.

_***~TimeSkip!~***_

When it was time for dinner his stomach were filled with butterflies and he didn't have an apetite, but he forced himself to eat as much as possible. The following day could be very long without food.

Mr. Gedding was in a really good mood and Naruto managed to keep an appearance of normalcy with one or another comment or question while the magistrate told them all about what he wrote to the judges in London about the siblings Orochimaru & Anko and their companions, and that he was sure that they would minimum get life sentence.

After the dinner he sat and helped Mrs. Gedding with some Sunday work until the tray with tea was carried in, then he excused himself and went to bed.

"Good night, dear," Mrs. Gedding said. "It's for the best to get a good night's sleep, because the carriage is ordered to ten o'clock, and before that you must be ready and have everything packed. I hope that my husband and Mr. Uchiha don't keep you awake. I think that they are going to play some pool tonight, and when my husband finds a willing opponent he can play all night."

Naruto was happy over the news, because he hoped that after a late night, Sasuke would sleep for a little bit longer and thus giving Naruto some more time to get far away before they woke up and noticed that he were missing. He slept restlessly the whole night since he was worried to oversleep and couldn't really fall asleep completely.

At last he could hear how the big watch struck four, and he got dressed in the grey morning light, put on his boots and the gloves and grabbed his bag. He left the letter to Mrs. Gedding on his pillow.

The house was quiet and the windows in the saloon opened up with ease by his nervous hands. He shut it close and ran across the lawn to the stable. The old dog opened up one of his eyes when he passed, but was used to him and therefore didn't start to bark.

Moonstone stood patiently while he heaved up the saddle and struggled to buckle everything up. The headstall was a bit trickier, but he stepped up on a box to reach. Then he carefully removed the girth from all the other saddles in the stable and the bridle and hided them under a stack of hay in an empty box. That should stall eventual prosecutors until he put a good distance between them, and if the carriage wouldn't be there until ten o'clock, that wouldn't be able to catch up to him either.

Naruto led Moonstone out from her box and over the yard to a small ladder that he could use to reach up and get on the horse. With a last anxious look towards Sasuke's window he turned the horse and silently rode away towards the light morning mist.

TBC…

**AN:** Here I am, Face to face, with a situation… Hey everybody! What did you guys think? ^^ Please tell me if you think it's good, if it needs any quick-fixes etc.! Constructive criticism is more than welcome as well!  
Hopefully the next chapter will be out sometime the next week, we'll wait and see! ;)


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